Objection Overruled
by VTM Potter Crazy
Summary: Death Eaters. They're all guilty. They have to be. They just are. End of story. Right? They call it prejudice for a reason and pride has nothing to do with it. What will Hermione do when she is confronted with her own? LM/HG
1. Bloody Minister!

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Just in case you get an alert off of this, I've just replaced some information in this chapter. FlaxenGoddess pointed out to me that I had put Pavarti Patil as Hermione's researcher in the first chapter and I just wanted to amend this. Lavender is Hermione's researcher not Pavarti. I was toying around with the idea for a while and I guess it just stayed there without my notice. So a big thank you to FlaxenGoddess and here's the first chapter...again  
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**Ciao!

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Chapter one: Bloody Minister!

"I won't do it!"

"You're the only one who could possibly-"

"I don't care! I will _not_ get him off those charges."

Hermione Granger moved quickly through the halls of the ministry, desperately trying to escape the Minister for Magic. Kingsley had been persistent in the past, but this was just down right mad. She was fuming, she was frustrated and most of all she was stubborn. She wouldn't do what he asked no matter how much he paid her or how many favours he would throw her way. It was just too much!

"Hermione please-"

"No Kingsley!" She whirled around to face him suddenly, almost making him trip over his feet, "You have exploited our friendship many times but this is as far as it goes! I will not defend Lucius Malfoy!"

"Hermione his wife has left him-"

"Rightly so."

"He has no standing left in this world-"

"With good reason."

"And his son will no longer speak to him," Kingsley finished, pleading with his eyes, "He has nothing left but money and he is willing to pay you _anything_ to get him out of prison."

"Money does not concern me Kingsley. After the amount of times you've tried to buy me off to prosecute these death eaters you should know that," she huffed and continued walking with the Minister hot on her heels, "What I simply _cannot _believe is that you are asking me to defend one!"

Hermione had been a part of the Magical Law Enforcement Office for just under three years now and in all that time, all she had been doing was defending or prosecuting suspected death eaters. Kingsley had managed to elicit her help in several high profile cases so far. She had defended Narcissa Malfoy freely, seeing as she had helped Harry and all. She had almost happily gotten Severus Snape off of his Death Eater charges once he had healed from his Shrieking Shack wounds. One couldn't say that he was a delight to defend, but their relationship was somewhat improved by the end of it. She had prosecuted Dolhov, McNair and Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange with glee, also giving her own testimony against them. But lately Kingsley's requests had gotten quite strange. He wanted her to _help_ get Lucius Malfoy off. It was completely ridiculous.

"Why do you even want him let go?" She asked him as they passed her secretary and made it into her office.

The Minister sighed and took a seat across from her.

"Because he has information Hermione," he told her, "Information of where certain weapons are that Voldemort had planned to use and where several Death Eater hide outs were planted across the country if the Dark Lord fell. He's promised to give us this information if we get him out of prison and keep him safe."

"You can get the information via other means Kingsley-"

"I don't condone torture Hermione and you know it."

"I meant veritaserum," she glared at him.

"That potion has its limits," he told her, "And we won't have another batch ready for another month. We used it all on Greyback."

"You only need three drops."

"Apparently werewolves absorb it quicker than regular humans," he grumbled before turning back to her, "Look, Hermione, I am willing to give you _anything you want_ if you defend this man. I know you two have a history-"

"A very brief and horrible one," she glared at him, "And I am not willing to make it repeat itself no matter what is on offer."

"Hermione-"

"No Kingsley," she told him firmly, "You've made your case and I have rejected it. That's my final word on the matter."

He sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to this, but you leave me no choice," he said. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a rather heavy looking scroll with the ministry seal on it.

"Hoping it wouldn't come to _what_, exactly?" She asked through gritted teeth, knowing exactly what that scroll was.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Kingsley said gravely, "You are hereby ordered to defend the known Death Eater Lucius Malfoy in his up coming trial upon the orders of the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement department, Mathew McKinnon. Should you fail to comply with this order you will be asked to resign from your current position as a Magical Law Enforcer and possibly face time in Azkaban."

She stared at him, wide eyed and shocked for a few moments until she recovered.

"You're subpoenaing me?!" She screeched.

"I didn't want to do this Hermione, but you left me no choice," he told her, standing from his seat once more, "He goes to trial next month so you have twenty four hours to work up the courage to visit your new client on your own or I will have Harry escort you. It's your choice, but I have a feeling that Harry's absence would make things much easier."

He was right about that much but it didn't stop her from being completely and utterly pissed off at him. She gaped at him, not knowing what to say anymore, her anger telling her to hex him or throw something at him, her logical brain telling her to resign this very minute. Either way, she couldn't win. So she simply sat there looking like a hippogriff with no feathers, uncomfortable and enraged as the Minister walked out the door.

"Son of a Banshee!" she screamed at nothing in particular, throwing her pencil holder at the nearest wall and watching it shatter into a million pieces. How could this be happening?! All her career she had done nothing but defend the innocent and condemn the guilty. How was she supposed to help someone who deserved nothing more than to rot in his cell?! She was really going to need a second council on this one if she was going to win-but wait a minute. The subpoena only said that she had to _defend_ him, not get him off those charges. Maybe she could...no, the idea was completely horrid. She would never throw a case; that was just evil. She had sworn an oath to do what was best for her client, whether innocent or otherwise and she would abide by it...however reluctantly.

She moved out from behind her desk and began to pace around her office. Well, she had no choice now; she may as well come up with a way to defend him. She of course knew all about his case, having known him for a while and followed his files for the last three years. He was charged with terrorism, three counts of rape, smuggling dark objects into the country, six confirmed murders (All the charges for the first war were still not applicable) use of the unforgivables on many occasions and at least one case of hippogriff theft. Like a good Law Enforcement Officer, she shouldn't really assume that he was guilty of any of these until he actually told her or gave her an explanation for them, but this was just so hard to do. He was Lucius Malfoy for Merlin's sake! He _had_ to be guilty of all of these. If he didn't kill anyone she would eat her wand! But regardless of whether he was guilty or not, she had to try and find a way of getting him off. This meant she needed a team to help her. She would need a second officer to handle some of the questioning, a researcher to get a few facts straight and an Auror to make sure Malfoy wasn't murdered before he got to trial and afterwards. If he got out of Azkaban there would be plenty of other Death Eaters that were still on the run that would want him dead as soon as possible. But who could she choose that would be unbiased? She ran through an inventory in her mind...

"Researchers," she whispered aloud. A million names stood out to her. Percy Weasley had left his job as Undersecretary to the Minister and had become the Head of the Research and Development department. He was brilliant at what he did, but he had too much of a hatred for the Malfoys, just like the rest of his family. She couldn't use him.

Gil Simpson was a new lad in Percy's department. He showed a lot of promise and had great skill with a wand when it came to sorting things, but he had no nerve. She needed someone who was going to be able to hack it and be sneaky enough to get what she needed. That was when another name popped into her head.

Lavender Brown. She had been working for the _Daily Prophet_ as a spell hacker and researcher ever since she left Hogwarts. She was absolutely brilliant at what she did and she was willing to do anything to get her job done...But would she keep her mouth shut to her bosses? Rita Skeeter in particular had been gunning for Hermione for a while and she would be willing to do anything to ruin her, including destroy her case. Perhaps if she pulled in a few favours Lavender might be willing.

Then who would be her second chair? There was a reason why Kingsley had forced _her_ to do this after all. No body else could. She kept pacing her office as she came up with more names.

Pavarti Patil was too nice. Peter Faucet was too nasty. Fred Walters was out of the country. Gregory Goyle was an idiot anyway; how he even graduated was a mystery to her. Mathew McKinnon had too much to do as it was. There was no way in hell that Draco Malfoy would help her even though he would be perfect for the job. Hanna Abbott would be ripped to shreds by the prosecution...

It only left one possible candidate and she hated to even think about it. He was too closely associated with Draco and he wasn't the most pleasant person since the war ended anyway. Not to mention there was a very high chance that the prosecution would call him for questioning...then again there was a high chance that they would call _her_ for questioning too. She had to try him at least.

It was securing her Auror that was going to be the hard bit. Every person in that department, man or woman, pureblood or mudblood, Gryffindor or Slytherin, wanted him to either die or go down in flames. He had caused them a lot of grief both during the war and afterwards when he was trying to save his arse. Perhaps an Auror wasn't the right answer. Perhaps someone with just exemplary skill and focus would be the best way to go instead. An Order member maybe? No, they all wanted to see him burn too but maybe, just maybe, if she called in the right favours a certain potions master would help her out. Severus and Lucius were old friends after all, even if they had been on different sides, they had managed to maintain that friendship through out two wars. Who better to protect him?

She stopped pacing and started counting on her fingers.

"Researcher," she whispered, "Body guard, second chair…"

"You should really stop talking to yourself Hermione," someone said from the doorway, "It just proves that you're a nutter."

She looked up from the floor and smiled as Harry walked in. He came over and gave her a hug, returning her smile with enthusiasm.

"Love your new robes," she smiled at him flicking a piece of pretend dust from his shoulder, "Makes you look very dashing."

"Ginny won't let me go anywhere in jeans and a T-shirt anymore," he rolled his eyes, "Apparently being the head of the Auror Office requires you to look expensive."

"Expensive indeed," Hermione said with a huge smile, "Are you sure Ginny isn't trying to put you back on the market? There must be tonnes of witches falling over themselves every time you walk past."

"Which reminds me," he said sheepishly, "Ah, your…er, secretary is passed out on the floor at the moment."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Not again," she said, "I swear, every time a wizard walks by she falls head over heels in love with them. You should see what she's like every time Malfoy walks past, it's ridiculous."

He laughed and agreed that she really did need a new assistant.

"So are you all set for dinner tonight?" He asked and she looked at him confusedly, "Ron's coming home party?"

Her eyes widened and she smacked herself on the forehead.

"You forgot didn't you," Harry sighed.

"I'm so sorry, I can't make it," she told him, "Kingsley's just given me a rather difficult high profile case and it needs my full attention."

"Can't you work on it tomorrow?" He asked, "Ron's missed you most of all."

"I have to go and visit my client tomorrow," she told him.

"Look, I'll have a word to Kingsley and ask him to assign it to someone else-"

"That won't work Harry," she told him, "He had to subpoena me to get me to do it which means that-"

"He subpoenaed you?" He asked incredulously, "No way."

"Yes way," she groaned, "First he tried to buy me off, then he tried to gain my sympathies and when telling me that the fate of the world was at stake didn't work, he pulled out a court order."

"But normally you take anything Kingsley gives you," he said, "What's so bad about this one?"

"The fact that he's guilty and I'm trying to keep him _out_ of prison."

"Who is he?"

She looked to the floor again and bit her lip and Harry looked at her sideways. She looked at the opposite wall and then he gasped.

"No!" He roared, "No! I won't let you do this-"

"I don't have a choice," she yelled back, "Believe me, if I could get out of it I would, but Kingsley is hell bent on having me defend him. He says that I'm the only one that can do it-"

"No Hermione!" He yelled again, "You will _not_ defend Lucius Malfoy! I'm getting Kingsley to take you off this right now!"

"It won't work," she told him calmly, "Kingsley won't back down-"

"Does he know how many laws he's in trouble of breaking?" Harry exclaimed, "Does he know how much trouble he's putting you in? The whole wizarding world will be out for your blood if you get him out of prison-"

"I know that," she said, taking his face in her hands, "I'm sure Kingsley knows that too and that's why he's making me do this. Because I'm the only one good enough to defend him, the only one strong enough to take the public pressure and the only one whose moral compass wouldn't let them throw the case."

Harry mumbled something unintelligible and then pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled and didn't resist in the slightest. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist as he kissed the top of her head. He really was her big brother.

"I'm going to assign myself to your protection," he whispered, "I'm not going near Malfoy but you're now my top priority."

"Harry you can't stand to be in the same room as him any more than I can," she told him softly, "The last thing we need is a war hero and the Man-Who-Lived-To-Kick-Voldemort's-Scaly-Backside thrown in Azkaban for murder."

"That doesn't mean I can't protect you from everyone else," he said calmly, "You know how many Death Eaters are still out there-"

"Death Eaters that I can take care of."

"It won't be just them. Do you have any idea how many nutters will be screaming for your murder if you do the impossible? I'm not going to take no for an answer Hermione."

She sighed and leaned into him a little more. They broke apart after a while and Harry walked over to her coat rack and grabbed her robes.

"Come on," he said with a smile, "You can work on the case tomorrow after you've gone to see Malfoy. Right now you need to be around your friends."

She couldn't disagree with him there. She hadn't seen Ron in so long, not since he had gone off to Quidditch camp a year ago. They had kept in contact but it just wasn't the same without him there. There was nothing romantic about them anymore, seeing as they had decided they were better off as friends, but that didn't mean she didn't miss him more than anyone else.

"Alright," she smiled at him, "We'll drop by my place so that I can get changed and then we'll go. Where is it again?"

"Dean's bar the _Swish and Flicker_," he told her before they departed through the floo.

***

Hermione stood outside the bar with Harry, a mixture of nervousness and excited glee coating the air. It had been a long time since she had seen Ron, a long time since they had spoken in person. What if he wasn't the same person anymore? What if she had changed more than she realised? She felt Harry's hand on the small of her back.

"Relax Hermione," he told her, "It'll be fine."

She smiled at him and they walked inside. They were both in their best clubbing clothes for the occasion, Hermione sporting a knee high crimson dress with a plunging neckline and golden heels. Her hair was held together by a gift that Harry and Ron had given her one year. A golden headband and clasp chained together designed and charmed to keep even the wildest hair in the most elegant styles. Tonight she had her hair in a curly bun of sorts with a few strands left to frame her face. She really did look beautiful. She had filled out her body after all and become a lovely young woman over the past few years, something that others never failed to notice. While Harry had once been _Witch Weekly's_ most eligible bachelor, she had become the _Daily Prophet's_ sexiest witch. She didn't set much store by it, but it was a welcome change to being called a bookish prude.

When they walked inside they were taken over by awe. The lights were flashing, the music was wild and the dance floor was filled with red heads. Hermione even saw Mrs Weasley with her husband, doing the robot if she wasn't mistaken.

"My, my Miss Granger, aren't we looking lovely."

Hermione turned to see George staring down at her with a huge grin on his face. She smiled back at him and gave him a big hug.

"I have to say the same for you too Mr Weasley," she smirked, "Has Ginny gone and attacked your closet too?"

"No I did that years ago," the only Weasley daughter came up to them, "It's not my fault that the men in my life haven't got any sense of style."

Hermione gave her a hug too and smiled at her.

"Though you on the other hand," Ginny beamed, "When did you start dressing yourself properly?"

"I didn't want to be next on your hit list so I pulled this thing out of my closet," Hermione laughed.

"Well you should pull it out of the closet more often," she told her, "It's fabulous!"

She then turned her attention to her husband.

"Did _you_ make her wear this?" She asked, coming up to him and placing her hands on his chest.

"Would it please you if I did?" He asked as he gave her a kiss. She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled him away to the dance floor leaving Hermione laughing and George looking conflicted.

"I'll never get used to the fact that my sister has a libido," he sighed, "Especially not one as active as hers."

"Why don't you go and get us a couple of drinks and I can take your mind off it," Hermione smiled as he agreed and whisked off to the other side of the room.

She ended up dancing with the entire Weasley family that night while waiting for Ron to arrive. Bill had swept her off her feet with a salsa, Charlie almost murdered her feet with what he called dancing, George made sure she got her fill of passion with a fiery tango, Mr Weasley led her around the room in a fatherly waltz and the Weasley women all made sure they had a conversation with her while they danced together. She was delighted to hear the Fleur was pregnant again; that Mrs Weasley was going to start renovations and that Ginny was going to take her out to lunch sometime that week. She really did miss this family so much. Ever since she had started working at the ministry her time with them had been somewhat strained. They all understood that both her job and Harry's gave them little time to spend with them but it didn't really help the fact that she thought she was losing them. But when Ron arrived all that changed. It felt like it did just after the final battle, all tension gone, joy and relaxation descending upon the air. She saw him walk in the door before everyone else while she was dancing with Bill for the second time. She unhinged herself from his grip and raced as fast as her six inch heels would carry her. She leaped at him and he caught her with ease. He didn't let go for the longest time and when he finally did, the biggest grin was set upon his freckled face.

"Merlin I've missed you," he told her while planting a friendly kiss on her cheek.

"I know exactly how you feel," she smiled back at him.

And she did. She knew _exactly_ how he felt…

***

She woke up the next morning with the worst firewhisky hangover she had ever had in her life. Her eyes were bloodshot, her head was pounding and her stomach was doing summersaults just to punish her for the drinking games she played with the others against her better judgement. She made a feeble glance at the clock and when she saw that it was only six she gave a groan…but not as loud of a groan as the two bodies lying either side of her. She was startled at first and grabbed her wand from its holster on her thigh, aiming it at the larger portion of the mass under the covers.

"What time is it?" Asked a muffled familiar voice.

"Do you have any eggs Hermione?" Asked another.

She gave a moan of her own when she remembered what had happened the night before. Ginny had proposed that the three of them have a sleep over to catch up. How that woman could trust her husband so easily with another woman and yet not with his own wardrobe was beyond her. Needless to say there hadn't been much catching up involved. Perhaps more shots of Dragon Flame Vodka and Pixy Tequila but not all that much catching up.

"I really have to stop drinking," she moaned.

"Us too," they said together, their heads still beneath the covers. She started to laugh but had to stop when her head began to throb painfully. Even though the two next to her were her best and most trusted friends, her family, she decided to inspect herself. She looked down at her body, now noticing that she was only in her underwear. She ducked her head under the covers and saw the same of the other two.

"Umm guys, why are we in our underwear?" She asked them.

"Because we couldn't find your pyjamas," Harry told her tiredly as he pulled his head onto a pillow.

"And it's hard to sleep in club outfits," Ron finished for him as he too came out from under the covers, "Besides, it's not like it's anything I haven't seen before."

"Or me for that matter," Harry yawned, "I'll never forget that day I walked in on you changing while we were on the run. I've never heard you scream so loud in your life."

She rolled her eyes and smacked them both on the shoulders before rolling on top of Ron and out of bed. She walked over to the mirror and gasped when she saw a giant bruise on her right eye.

"That was your own fault Hermione," Ron told her with a giddy smile, "You're the one who walked into her own door."

"You're the one who fed me all the whiskey that made me do it," she laughed back at him, using her wand to heal the unfortunate piece of flesh, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"You were kissed by every single Weasley except Bill, Arthur and Molly," Harry told her, laughing at the blush on her face, "You would expect it from Ron, but Ginny was a real surprise. I think after that one even Fleur wanted a go."

She turned back to them in a flush of embarrassment and dove back into the covers again.

"I _really_ need to stop drinking," she moaned.

"If it makes you feel any better, George went back for seconds," Ron laughed. Needless to say, she smacked him again, shutting him up promptly. Hermione found enough Hangover solution for the three of them in her potions supply cupboard and a new outfit for the day. Another red dress, though this one had short sleeves and a neckline that wasn't quite as daring as the one from the night before. She wore black heals and black outer robes to go with it and charmed her hair into a bun very much like the one she wore last night only this one was a little tighter and tidier. Harry and Ron emerged from her bedroom an hour after she had, Ron still in his underwear and Harry fully dressed in new robes. She had a suspicion that Ginny may have planted a spare set in her house the last time they had all gone out drinking together.

"So what have you two got on today?" Ron asked them as he sipped his cup of coffee, "I haven't got anything to do until the next Quidditch season so I thought I might go and work in the shop with George."

"He'd love that," Hermione smiled to him as she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "He's been very lonely since Fred died. It'll do him good to have you around."

"Hermione when do you plan on going to Azkaban?" Harry asked her.

"As soon as I've gone to see a few other people," she told him, "Don't worry, I'll let you escort me if it makes you feel any better."

"Umm what have I missed?" Ron asked them, "Why the hell would you want to go to Azkaban? Are they finally locking you up for being more of a bossy boots than Kingsley?"

Hermione looked at Harry with the same question Harry looked at her with. Should they really tell him the truth? He would be angrier, more overprotective than Harry had been, but then again it would be even worse if he found out when the press got a hold of it.

"Ron," she said wearily, "I've been subpoenaed to defend Lucius Malfoy."

The explosion was immediate.

"WHAT?!"

Several glasses in the kitchen shattered, plates flew from one side of the room to the other and smashed against the wall and Ron's chair flipped over when he stood in his rage.

"Has Kingsley LOST HIS MIND?!"

"Probably," she allowed, "But there's nothing I can do about it-"

"You will _not_ defend that vile bastard!" He roared at her, "After everything he and his son did to us-"

"That's not fair on Draco," she told him firmly, "He may still be a bastard but he's completely changed his view on things. Just last month he helped me imprison Dolhov-"

"It doesn't matter!" He roared again, "I'm not going to let you walk into that prison with the intention of setting Malfoy free-"

"You have no choice!" Harry screamed back in her defence and Ron fell silent, "I don't like it any more than you do but because Kingsley issued a court order, she has no choice. The only thing we can do now is try to help."

"No," he said quietly.

She blinked at him.

"No what?" She asked, just as quietly, though probably with more confusion. Ron slowly backed out of the room shaking his head.

"After everything he's done I want no part of this," he said, "If you're going to get him out of prison…I don't want to know you."

It cut her deeply. As though a stinging hex had slice through her heart, she clutched to her chest and waited for the pain to go away but it wouldn't abate. As Ron left the room, she sat there, unwanted tears filling her eyes, not knowing who she wanted to strangle more; Kingsley Shaklebolt, Lucius Malfoy or Ronald Weasley. Harry was instantly at her side.

"He didn't mean it Hermione," he said hurriedly, "He's just worried about you-"

"He didn't sound all that worried about _me_ at all," she said shakily, standing from her chair, "I'm going to work."

"Hermione-"

She didn't hear the end of his sentence as she stepped inside the fireplace and remerged inside her office. She shut down her fireplace immediately so that he couldn't follow her through and sat herself at her desk, placing her head in her hands, trying as hard as she could to resist the temptation of pulling out her hair. She hadn't even started on the case and it was already doing her head in. A lone tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away furiously. She hated crying. It was so useless, so empty and such a stupid thing to do. She hated the fact that she was prone to it more than others too. When she was sad, she cried, when she was happy, she cried, when she was mad, she cried, when she was jealous, depressed, bored, sick, tired and yes, completely euphoric…she cried! She couldn't escape her water works even if she tried. At least she was one of these people that could pull herself together easily though. If she spent all her time crying she would never get anything done. Speaking of getting things done, if she didn't get a hold of her team now, they would all be swiped from under her nose for other cases. She pulled herself together, taking a quick look in the mirror before grabbing a fist full of floo powder and entered her fireplace…

***

She had decided to start with the easiest visit first. She walked through the halls of Hogwarts with confidence she didn't feel and a finesse that definitely wasn't that of Hermione Granger. Even though Snape could be nice when he wanted to, she could only hope that she wouldn't catch him on a bad day. He was horrible when he had a bad day. She had checked in with McGonagall first to see where he was and made sure that it was alright with the Headmistress for her resident potions master to take the next few months off work to help her out. After the older woman had heard what kind of a predicament she had been placed in she agreed without hesitation. She had been right in saying that Hermione needed all the help she could get. She ventured down into the dungeons with caution for any Slytherin traps. If this generation was anything like her own, the corridors would be full of them. A few minutes later she found herself standing before the door to her old potions class. The wood was more faded and the bolts were more rusted but it was still the same. She could hear his voice inside, telling off a student for no apparent reason and then turning back to the lesson. Well, it was now or never. She slid the door open silently and slipped inside so that no one would notice her presence. Something she had picked up from the snarky potions master himself.

"…that Nagel as shown off his idiocy to the rest of us, we may continue," she heard him say as he stalked around the room. He was just as she remembered. Greasy hair, sallow skin and yet with an attractive air and graceful movement. He had the same scowl on his face that he had during his entire trial and it made her roll her eyes. Did that man ever smile? He would look so much younger if he would.

"Who can tell me what would have happened if I had not stopped Nagel from adding the Salamander skin to his unfinished draught?" He asked them. By the smell of the air and the look of the finished potion at the front of the room she guessed that they were working on Merlin's Fifth Healing Draught. Not her particular favourite but it was simple enough. She watched as not one of the students raised their hands.

"You're dunderheads the lot of you," he scowled down at them, "Not one of you can tell me?"

"Well it's kind of hard when you're in our face like that sir," a boy piped up. If he wasn't a Gryffindor she would eat her wand.

"Do you think it will be any easier when you have to save someone's life with this potion?" He sneered at him, "Do you think your unwilling patient will just sit tight and wait for you to figure it out?"

"But no one is dying at the moment are they," the boy spoke again, "So why do you have to be such a-"

"Finish that sentence and you will have detention so fast you won't even be able to say Quidditch," he said dangerously low before turning back to the class, "What would have happened?"

"The cauldron would have exploded," Hermione finally spoke. All eyes turned to her as she leaned against the door and smirked, "The heat from the scales would have activated the monk's hood at the wrong time and blown this lab sky high."

"It is nice to see that you remember _something_ of what I taught you Miss Granger," the class gasped at the sound of her name, "But this is not your lesson."

"Nothing wrong with a bit of help, Professor," she smiled, "I do believe you taught me that too, in your own special way that is."

He continued to glare at her and she just smiled back before leaning off of the door and walking from her side of the room to his.

"I'll wait in your office shall I?" She asked, "Or would you like to take away house points first?"

He sneered at her jib but waved his hand at the door to his office and they heard it softly click as it unlocked. She smiled at him one last time and walked to the door, slipping silently out of the way of his class once more. She had to wait another half an hour before he emerged again looking as sullen as ever. He walked over to his liquor cabinet without a word to her and pulled out two glasses, filling them with firewhisky as he went.

"Am I to assume that this is not a social visit?" He asked her, his tone devoid of the bite that she had become used to over her years as a student. A friendly atmosphere had come between them once she had gotten him off his charges as a Death Eater and had remained there. They weren't close and never would be, but there was a mutual bond of equality that rested upon the air.

"No," she said gravely, "I have a favour to ask of you."

He tipped the glass to his lips and gestured for her to continue.

"I am in need of a body guard," she told him after she had finished her own glass.

"Don't your idiot Auror and Quidditch Queen function as guard dogs?" He asked her, "You hardly need another."

She gave a slight chuckle but turned back to business quickly.

"You wouldn't be guarding me," she told him. This made him stop drinking and place his glass on the desk before them. He looked at her with interest now.

"And to whom would my services be offered?" He asked her, "Who is it that none of the Aurors will take?"

She took a deep breath.

"Lucius Malfoy," she told him heavily. He slowly closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands.

"So you are the one Shaklebolt enlisted to defend him," he mused, "Rumours travel just as quickly around the old Order as they do around Hogwarts. I had thought that you may be his first choice."

"First and only," she snorted, "He subpoenaed me."

The man raised his eyebrows at her.

"You must have had a very firm resistance for him to resort to that."

"He practically chased me around the ministry," she told him.

There was a slight pause in which Snape leaned back in his seat and observed her.

"And how do Potter and Weasley feel about this?"

"Harry's offered to protect me at all costs and Ron has gone off his nut," she said bitterly, "But they aren't why I'm here. With Harry looking after me I need someone to look after Malfoy and as you rightly said none of the Aurors will do it."

"Malfoy is safe in Azkaban."

"If he's anything like Sirius was I have plans to get him out of there," she told him firmly, "If I'm going to get him off, he needs to be able to form coherent sentences and not be in fear of the dementors sucking out his soul. Why the idiots don't destroy the things is beyond me. As a result, Malfoy will be living with me, which means that if you accept you will be too."

"Why me?" He asked, "Why not McGonagall or Shaklebolt himself?"

"Because I'm not speaking with the Minister at the moment," she glared at him, "And although Minerva would be more than willing, I need someone that Malfoy is going to be comfortable with, someone that's not going to feel like a body guard but more like support. You are still in touch with him, yes?"

Severus looked down at his glass.

"Yes."

"It is a friendly correspondence?"

"Yes."

"Then you are my first and only choice," she told him, "If you don't take me up on my offer then there is no one else who would be suitable. With working on his case I can not look out for him all the time and I doubt very much whether my staff will do it at my command either."

He looked at her for several moments and then downed his firewhisky.

"I'll do it on one condition Granger," he finally said, "I get my own room."

***

Hermione moved through Diagon Alley with a relieved smile on her face half an hour later. Severus had agreed so that was one obstacle out of the way, perhaps the most difficult. With a guard for Malfoy on standby she was now free to do what she needed to get him out of Azkaban without fear of assassination. She sat down at Florien Fortescue's ice-cream shop, her face absolutely glowing. Lavender was coming to visit her for lunch and then after that she would go back to her department to see her…other employee. He would be the hardest to convince but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. Then she would make her most dreaded visit to Azkaban to see her new client. She wasn't looking forward to it and the dementors had nothing to do with it. She hadn't laid eyes on Malfoy since the war ended. The moment Voldemort's body fell to the ground she had pointed her wand to him, stopping him from running. _She_ was the reason that he was in there, the look of hatred he had given her that day still chilled her when she thought about it. It was almost funny to think that he wanted _her_ to get him out.

She ordered a banana split when the waiter came out to see her and waited for Lavender to arrive. It had been a while since they had spoken to each other properly. Lavender was busy with her journalism career these days and Hermione wasn't exactly swimming in free time. They had sent a few owls to one another over the years but that was where their friendship began and ended. Hermione wondered if it would be strong enough to get her old friend to do something like this.

She saw the woman walking down the alley and rose to greet her. Lavender hadn't really changed all that much. She was still a beautiful woman and she still radiated confidence, something that every journalist should have. She walked over to Hermione in her Prada shoes and hugged her warmly.

"You have no idea how grateful I am that you invited me to lunch," she told her, "If it wasn't for you I would be stuck in my office trying to fend of Zacharias Smith for the umpteenth time."

"The pleasure is all mine," Hermione answered with a smile as the woman let go.

"So how have you been?" Lavender asked her once they both sat and Lavender placed her own order of a triple chocolate chip sundae, "I hear you're doing well in Magical Law Enforcement."

"Very well," she told her, "I've been doing nothing but putting away Death Eaters since I started."

"If anyone deserves to do it it's you," she smiled.

"How have you been going?" Hermione asked her, "Last time you owled me you said that you had just gotten a promotion."

Lavender nodded enthusiastically.

"I now have my own column in the _Daily Prophet_," she told her excitedly, "An entire page all to myself on what ever I want. Can you believe it? I never thought I would get this far this quickly, it's unbelievable."

"I always knew you'd do well," Hermione smiled as their ice-cream came but sighed when the waiter left, "I have to say though, this visit isn't exactly innocent."

"I thought as much," the other woman smirked, "Everything you do has a motivation Hermione. I would have been a fool to think otherwise. What do you need?"

"I've been given a very high profile case by the Minister," she explained, "I'll admit that I didn't want to take it and the Minister had to order me to do it so I won't at all be offended if you decide to turn me down. I'm in need of a researcher, someone who can get what I need quickly, quietly and without a fuss. Someone who has a back bone and won't cave when the media asks them about the case."

"You want me?" She asked excitedly, "Who are you defending?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

Pavarti's smile suddenly faded and she looked at Hermione in shock.

"Merlin Hermione," she whispered, "No wonder the Minister had to order you to do it. How are you coping?"

"I'm alright," she told her, "I'm just trying to get everything together so that I can try to get him out of jail. Look Pavarti, you're the only person I trust to do this. I know you're against the idea of him getting out and I know that I'm asking a lot but please just think-"

"I'll do it."

"Because it would mean a lot- Wait, what?"

"I said I'll do it," she smiled, "You need all the help you can get for this case and if I can make it any easier I will."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the woman. She tried to look innocent for a few minutes but then huffed and put her spoon back down.

"Oh alright," she admitted, "I was hoping you would let me interview you and Malfoy afterwards if you won. It would do wonders for my career."

"Lavender if we win it will be a miracle," Hermione smiled before taking a bite out of her ice-cream, "But if we do, I'd be more than happy to grant you an interview."

***

She had been sitting inside his office for quite some time now. He must know that she was here or otherwise he would have walked in over three hours ago. He was avoiding her, so he must've known what case she would come calling on him soon enough. But she was Hermione Granger, she would wait all night for him if she had to and he knew it too. She would just sit in her chair, twiddling her thumbs or hexing flies off the ceiling until he walked in with a scowl on his face, ready to tell her to bugger off at any moment. Only he wouldn't get a chance to shoo her away. She would stay put and not give him any room to speak. They had never been on the best of terms but they had never been on the worst either, something that she was eternally grateful for. Even when she had gotten him off his own charges the relationship had been strained but there was still some form of loose respect there. So she would wait for him and he would avoid her until the last minute and then all hell would break loose.

The door finally opened a crack and let a few rays of light into the shaded room. A hasty spell was muttered and the lights flickered on to reveal a handsome middle aged man with dark locks and even darker eyes. His hair hung loosely over his eyes and his immaculate robes seemed to shine in the light, setting off his eyes nicely.

"I had hoped that you would have gone home Granger," he said as he walked past her and straight to his liquor cabinet. Did all these wizards drink? It was one thing for Severus to be drinking at ten in the morning but this was different.

"You should know how persistent I am by now Lestrange," she said, looking down at her fingers as they circled over her wand, "After all, if I wasn't you would be rotting in Azkaban with your brother and his mad wife for a second time."

"And I told you when you got me off that I was grateful for your help," he said bitingly, "But I'm not so grateful that I would stand to be in Malfoy's presence any longer. I'm not going to help you."

"You've helped me with other cases where Death Eaters have been involved," she said sharply, standing from her seat and walking over to him, "What makes this one any different?"

"The fact that you were putting those Death Eater's _in_ Azkaban, not getting them out!" He hissed at her, "Malfoy deserves to be in there, you can't deny that."

"No I can't," she whispered as she drew level with him and looked him in the eye, "Malfoy is the _last_ person on earth that I would want to defend but the fact remains that I have to and you are the only person that can help me do it."

He looked down at her for a moment and appeared to be contemplating it but after sculling back his whisky he slammed his glass on the table and looked at her coldly.

"No."

He went to walk past her but she stood in his way.

"What if I paid you extra?"

"I'd sooner burn your money than spend it."

"What if I got your brother out of Azkaban?"

"I'd kill you for it," he told her coldly.

"What if I gave him another life sentence?"

"I doubt he'll live past his first six."

"Then what do you want?" She asked him exhaustedly, "I am willing to do almost anything here. I don't want you to help me because I think you're a barrel of laughs, on the contrary, I believe you to be about as delightful as Severus Snape confronted with a bottle of shampoo. I chose you for my second chair because you're smart, you're ruthless in cross examination and you are one of the only other people in this department with a brain. The one other person I could ask would sooner shave his head, wax his legs and let me use him for a surf board before he helped me get his father out of prison."

"Ok, I don't know what a surf board is but that still doesn't change my mind," he told her sternly, "You know, the prosecution is probably going to call me as a witness which gives me a conflict of interest in this case. You can't use me anyway."

"The prosecution is more than likely going to call up me too but I will slay that dragon when it decides to eat me," she huffed, "The point is that I'm willing to pay any price to get your help."

This time he really was considering it. He folded his arms over his chest and peered down at her before pouring himself another glass of whisky.

"I want my freedom," he said simply.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"I can't go anywhere without people staring at me," he told her bluntly, "You may have been able to prove that I was under the imperious curse for half of my life but that doesn't change the fact that the wizarding world doesn't trust me. Certain bars and restaurants won't let me inside, people run in the opposite direction when they see me on the streets…Normally I wouldn't worry about this but I have a daughter now and I don't want her subjected to the same prejudice. That shouldn't be her fate."

Hermione stared up at him, a plan already formulating in her mind. It would take a little manipulation on her part but if she could pull it off the rewards would be great.

"If you can make that go away," he whispered, "I would be in your debt for the rest of my life."

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll find a way to get the world off your back and leave your daughter alone," she told him, "We leave in ten minutes for Azkaban."


	2. Warrant Requisitions

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Right, before we get into this, I have a few apologies to make. The first goes out to EVERYBODY who's been dying for another chapter. This story is far more complex than my other ones and so it's going to take a little longer for the chapters to come out.**

**My second apology goes out to all those who end up reading this chapter. It can be a little confusing in places, so if you end up getting lost anywhere, feel free to let me know and I'll try to clear things up for you. There are going to be a few laws made up here and there so if need be, I will post the laws that are made up in an authors note so that you guys can get it. Again, I apologise if you get confused.**

**Thanks guys, I hope you enjoy it, even if it does make your brain go *poof!*

* * *

**

Chapter two: Warrant Requisitions

Hermione, Rabastan and Harry landed on a windy and whether eroded platform in the middle of the North Sea. The impertable charms they had used were barely holding in the stormy weather and the fog from the dementors was already sending chills up their spines. Hermione had had to visit this place a few times before but not once had it seemed this menacing, this horrid. Perhaps it had something to do with who she was visiting but she didn't really care. The point was that the minister had gotten his bloody wish and despite the fact that she shouldn't, she really wanted a drink because of it.

A door opened in front of them and a weedy looking wizard emerged. He had the hugest smile on his face with wispy grey hair and a few points of stubble on his chin. He approached quickly, a levitating lantern following behind him, trying as hard as it could to avoid his wild robes.

"Miss Granger!" He yelled over the wind, "Lovely to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same Smithy," she yelled back.

"Can we get inside now?!" Rabastan yelled, "I'm freezing my balls off here!"

"And mine are being blown away!" Harry yelled, just as irritated. Smithy lead them inside and all though the wind was gone it didn't make the temperature any better.

"Side effect of the dementors I'm afraid," Smithy laughed as they walked inside, "They're such sad sacks. Me and Martha have tried to cheer them up but they just won't budge."

Rabastan and Harry looked at Hermione in confusion. Who the hell was this old coot?

"The ministry employs people who are obscenely happy to take care of the dementors," she sighed, "Smithy is naturally flamboyant and cheerful by nature so he's perfect for the job. It helps of course, that the ministry altered his memory so that he can't remember anything bad in his life and meddled with his primary brain functions so that he never feels angry or sad or anything of the sort. This stops them from getting out of hand. They can't over power someone who can't feel anything bad and doesn't remember a crappy childhood."

"Did he volunteer for this?" Harry asked her quietly as they were lead through the main entrance to the prison.

She shook her head.

"No," she told him, "None of the guards do. They're taken from their families and forced into this life. A little ministry cover up that I discovered when I was first employed. I doubt that Kingsley knows what's going on but after I've dealt with Malfoy I plan on rectifying this mistake."

"Trust you to take on the big fish," Harry smirked.

"Trust her to be an idiot," Rabastan muttered, "No one's ever sued the ministry before and won."

"There's a first time for everything Lestrange," she smirked at him. They were led down a long winding corridor made of black marble and obsidian. They could hear the screams and taunts of the prisoners on the other side of the wall and the dementors feeding on them as they went. They were finally stopped outside a door and Smithy turned to them.

"Malfoy's in here," he smiled, "If there's any trouble, don't hesitate to call."

Harry, Hermione and Rabastan all stared at his retreating back as he whistled over the screaming and sang 'I love rock and roll'.

"Nutter," the three of them said simultaneously before turning to each other.

"Harry you need to stay out here," she told him, "Malfoy will be weak and I'll have Lestrange with me."

"Right, and having you in the same room as two Death Eater's is safe how?" He asked snidely. Rabastan sneered at him and then looked at Hermione pointedly. Harry wasn't helping.

"Harry, this is not a discussion," she told him pointedly, "You will stay out here or you will leave the prison. Make your choice."

He hated it when she told him what to do but he wouldn't object here. She was the boss this time; he had to follow _her_ lead. If she said it was safe then he had to believe that it was. Rabastan opened the door for her and together they entered the tiny little examination room.

Malfoy was certainly a sight to behold. He was much too skinny, his hair was thin and messy, his complexion was grey and his eyes were gaunt and hollow. He was but a shell of the man he once was. He was breathing heavily with great iron shackles around his wrists and ankles and he was leaning against the table he sat at, using it to hold himself up right. The dementors had certainly taken their toll.

"Mr Malfoy," she said loudly to draw his attention to her. He snapped his head from the varnished wood of the table and looked at her. His expression was blank, almost dazed, such a contrast from the cruel and harsh looks she normally received from him.

"Miss…Granger?" he whispered. He tried to stand from his seat to greet them, but his knees gave way and he collapsed to the floor. Hermione's protective nature kicked in quickly and she instantly rushed to his side, seeing that he was unconscious. She conjured a pillow out of thin air and laid it behind his head whilst turning him on his side so that he could breathe easier.

"Get Smithy in here now!" She yelled at Rabastan.

He didn't move. He stood there, staring at Malfoy, watching him just lye there, dying before his very eyes. He had this cold hard look on his face that told her he needed reminding of what he was doing here.

"Do you want your daughter to be free or not?" She asked him harshly. His eyes flicked to her equally hard expression and he suddenly softened. He was out of the room in an instant, yelling down the corridors "SMITHY!"

Harry then entered the room.

"Shit Hermione," he smirked, "I didn't expect you to kill him that quickly. You might have left me a piece though."

"I didn't do anything," she told him sternly, "He tried to stand and then he collapsed."

"Well at least now you don't have to defend him."

"He isn't dead."

"He will be though," he told her, "St Mungo's won't do anything for him. None of the healers will touch him."

With a jolt, she knew he was right. People from all walks of life had been affected by Malfoy's crimes, including healers and medi-witches. If they had any sense in them they wouldn't go anywhere near him without the intent to _harm_ him not _heal_ him. Smithy and Rabastan were back with in minutes.

"Oh dear," the old man laughed, "You are in a pickle."

She didn't even hear him. She had her eyes set on Malfoy's face, contemplating her options. In her opinion, she really only had two. The first was to leave him there to die, be cruel and let him suffer for his own cruelties. It would bring her satisfaction for sure, to see him die a painful death and pay for what he had done. But that wasn't why she was here. That was why the second option was more appealing. She could take him back to her home and heal him herself...at least enough to save him. She wasn't a healer by any means, but she knew enough for emergencies.

"I need clearance to take Malfoy out of prison," she told him quickly, performing a few diagnostic spells as she did so, "It only has to be temporary."

"I don't have the authority to do that," he told her lightly. She sighed heavily in frustration. She knew he didn't have the power to give her what she wanted. Only the Wizenagmot could give Malfoy his temporary release, and it had to be all of them. One vote unaccounted for and he would stay exactly where he was. This was her impasse. She couldn't let him die and yet she couldn't move him without potentially throwing his case out the window. She looked at him again. He was getting paler and paler by the minute. Well, if he had the choice, what would it be? Would he prefer to rot in prison even more, or would he like to die a painful death in the very place he was trying so desperately to escape?

Hermione stood from her kneeling position and looked at the other two, almost pleading for their understanding.

"There's no other way," she told them as she cast a levitation spell.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked her, looking completely horrified.

"He needs medical attention," she said as she walked out the door.

"St Mungo's won't take him!" Harry yelled at her as she walked out the door with a levitating Malfoy behind her.

"Then I will help him," she told him.

"The Wizenagmot could charge you for this," Rabastan told her as he followed, "And the prosecution could use it against us."

"There won't _be_ a prosecution if we don't have a defendant!" She yelled at the both of them before turning back to Smithy, "Where's your nearest fireplace?"

"About a hundred and fifty miles away," he laughed, "The ministry put us in a right hole they did."

Hermione suddenly clutched onto Malfoy's body as tight as she could and then turned to Smithy.

"Lower the apparation wards."

"Hermione you can't apparate him!" Harry told her, "It'll kill him faster!"

"And if I don't get him out of here, he'll die anyway!" She roared at him and then turned back to Smithy, wand in hand, "Lower the damn wards or I'll hex you into next mellenium!"

Smithy just gave a light chuckle, seeming to be enjoying himself immensely. He then pulled out his wand and flicked it once in the air.

"Hermione this is mad!" Harry yelled.

"Do you have any other ideas?" She asked him snidely, "Didn't think so."

She squeezed her eyes tightly and concentrated on her destination as much as she could. With the amount of Death Eaters she had had to prosecute and defend, this situation had been bound to come up, though she had always thought that the positions would be reversed somehow. With a familiar tug on her naval Hermione felt herself being pulled through space. The dark corridors were replaced by a stone grey room lit with a few floating candles that never extinguished. The floor was covered in rich red carpet and the walls were decorated with tapestries that were thousands of years old.

Hermione felt herself being thrown from her passenger and into a wall as soon as she arrived. She felt the back of her head collide with the wall but didn't stop. Malfoy was now her first priority. She lifted herself from the floor and ran to him, kneeling before him on the floor once again. She felt for his pulse in the hollow of his neck and found it, but it was weak and erratic. He wouldn't have much time left if she didn't hurry. With a flick of her wand, she levitated him to the bed in the corner of the room and ran over to the potions laboratory in the middle. She found everything she needed there.

The invigoration draught and Merlin's Fifth Healing draught were already premade. Once she had administered those she knew that he could hold on for a few hours while she made what ever else he needed. She instantly started working on the Strengthening Solution and Pain Killer Elixir just to make sure he wouldn't die on her. She had seen this kind of thing in her clients before. The dementors took away their will to live and subsequently all their strength as well. The dementors had done their job, torturing his mind and his soul, possibly to insanity and Hermione had no doubt in her mind that Bellatrix and Rodolphus were doing their best to make Lucius physically miserable as well. They were the masters of torture; surely they could inflict pain without a wand.

She thought while she worked. She thought about he subsequent consequences of her actions and what would happen to Malfoy's case now that she broken the law quite severely. Would the Minister pass it on? Hardly. He had spent so much effort on trying to get her to take it, she very much doubted that he would just give it away to someone else who would more than likely botch it up. But how could she possibly defend him when the prosecution now had ammo against her now too? She had already known that they would attack Rabastan for his background the moment she hired him. That she could handle. But the moment this made headlines, every person in the wizarding world would be poisoned with it, including the Wizenagmot, who would be her jury. The moment they saw what she had done, their vision of her would be tainted also. She had just made her job ten times worse.

It was when the Pain Killer solution was done that he began to stir. She looked back at him with reproachful eyes and then down at the steaming bottle in her hands. Surely it wouldn't hurt him to go through a little pain, after all the dementors weren't here to make it ten times worse. She shook her head at herself. It wasn't his fault that he was about to die in there…well, in a round about kind of way, it was, but she still shouldn't take it out on him. He gave a bit of a groan and tried to open his eyes but she was there with a cold compress over them within seconds.

"If you open your eyes you'll go blind, do you understand me?" She asked him, "You must wait for the dementor's side effects to disappear first."

She was surprised that he actually listened to her. He didn't try to take it off or get out of bed or even speak for that matter. He simply lay there and listened to her every word. When she brought the Pain Killer Solution to his lips, he drank; when she told him to sit up, he sat up; when she told him to stay put, he did so without question. This kind of subservient behaviour was not at all what she expected from her new client at all. At best, she hoped for a slightly subdued Lucius who would respond to pain at best, but to have him taking orders from her was a definite change.

It was about half an hour later that he said his first words.

"Am I to assume we are no longer in Azkaban?" He asked her hoarsely.

"We're in my basement," she told him curtly as she kept working on a Blood Replenishing Potion, "It was the best place for the both of us."

"For the both of us?" He asked curiously.

"I took you out of the prison without clearance," she explained, "My estate is heavily guarded and there is no doubt in my mind that I'll have a few hundred Aurors trying to get through my wards at any moment."

She pulled up a chair beside his bed and watched as he downed the vial concoction she had placed in his hands. Her Blood Replenishing Potions had never tasted all that nice but they got the job done. He winced slightly as it ran down his throat but said nothing against it.

"I have to say," he spoke softly, "These are much easier to swallow without dementors around."

"Things generally are easier to swallow when you aren't in fear of your soul being sucked clean from your body," she seethed. She said it in such a way that he knew her anger was more directed at the dementors than him; he didn't need to see her to register that.

"How much of my squandering fortune did the minister offer you to take my case?" He asked her quietly.

She snorted and stood from her seat to turn of her cauldron fires.

"Your fortune isn't all that squandering Mr Malfoy," she told him, "And even if it was, I wouldn't want any portion of it. The Minister didn't buy me off."

She saw him raise his eyebrows from underneath the compress and she knew what he was asking.

"He subpoenaed me," she told him flatly, "What ever you said to him has put him so on edge that he is incapable of hearing the word no."

"So he _does_ want to know if there's a threat on his life," Malfoy smirked, "I thought as much."

She looked at him confusedly.

"What are you on about?" She asked him, seeing as he couldn't see her expression.

"Among several plans that were made in case of the Dark Lord's demise, there was discussion of a few assassination targets. The minister knows this much and probably wants to know if he's on the list," he told her smugly.

"And that's how you managed to make him go all funny on me," she said disgustedly, rolling her eyes, "Thank you so much for ruining my life."

"How could I possibly have ruined something that hasn't even begun?" He asked idly. She didn't even want to contemplate anything that he meant by it and instead chose to jab him with a very large needle full of muggle antibiotics for any infections he may have caught while in prison. He winced slightly and scowled beneath his compress but said nothing. Half an hour later she had him walking again and three hours after that he was able to take the compress off of his eyes and see the world around him once again. Hermione distantly wondered as she watched him read a book she had offered for entertainment, what was taking the ministry so long to turn up to her place to take him back to prison. Perhaps Harry had done something? Or maybe Rabastan?

"Miss Granger?"

She switched her brain back on in that moment and looked at him again.

"Yes?"

"How long could I expect to stay here?"

"I have plans to keep you here during your trial," she told him as she gazed at the opposite walls, "Once the ministry shows up I'll ask for an emergency hearing, get my charges dropped, whatever they'll be, and get you to stay here under house arrest. If we're going to win this, then I need you to be able to form coherent sentences and not pass out every five minutes."

"So you intend to try to win?" He asked her conversationally.

She scrutinized him for a moment but supposed that it was a natural question to ask. With their pasts being intertwined such as they were, there was bound to be lack of trust on both sides. She wouldn't trust him as far as she could throw him and he…well he didn't exactly have any reason to trust her either. They had been bitter enemies for so long and to be suddenly thrust into a partnership which required trust and loyalty was rather daunting.

"I intend to try, yes," she answered, "I'm not guaranteeing anything, after all, your case has to be the most difficult I've had to deal with thus far and I haven't exactly made any better by breaking you out of prison."

"You tried for Narcissa did you not?" He asked her.

"Yes but her case was based on straight forward morality and that she saved Harry's life," she answered passively, like she would to any other person, recounting the trial with perfect clarity, "The fact that she didn't have the mark on her arm was a big help."

"Dear Bellatrix was the only woman to receive the mark," Lucius informed her. She couldn't help but note the undertone of disgust in his voice, whether for Bellatrix or the fact that she had a mark on her arm, she couldn't be sure.

"Your case," she continued as she got up from her seat and began pacing, "Is going to be about anything _but_ morality. Your past is too chequered for that argument."

She tried to ignore the strange little smirk on his face as she said this.

"So if you are not going to base our argument on morality," he asked her, "What will you base it on?"

"That's something to discuss when my staff arrives," she told him.

He blinked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Did you really expect me to go into this blind and alone?"

"No," he shook his head, "I just did not expect others would wish to help you free a convicted Death Eater."

"It took a lot of favours," she grumbled. There was a sudden ringing in her ears. Lucius looked at her curiously for a moment as she screwed up her face and tried to block it out.

"Do you hear that?" She asked him and he shook his head. It was then that she really groaned, reached for her wand and flicked it lazily in the air.

"And what was the purpose of that?" He asked, indicating her wand.

"The ministry is finally here," she told him when the ringing finally stopped, "And they've brought an army with them by the sounds of it. That was my wards going off. Stay here, I'll sort this out."

He looked indignant at being told to stay like a dog but said nothing to her about it and simply nodded as she ran up the basement stairs and into her main foyer. She stopped herself in front of her great oak doors, smoothed out her robes, took out her wand again and breathed.

"Ok Hermione," she said to herself quietly, "No matter what happens, you will _not_ kill anyone, no matter how idiotic they turn out to be."

She opened her doors as gracefully as possible and was greeted with the scene of at least twenty wands in her face. The Aurors had arrived, each and every one of them looking pissed at her for even contemplating what she was doing. She distantly wondered where Harry was as she gazed at all of their faces.

"Do you lot have _any_ idea what time it is?" She asked lightly, "Who's in charge?"

None of them answered and continued to stare at her with blazing fury. She rolled her eyes at each and every one of them.

"What are you going to do?" She asked them sarcastically, "Curse me?"

"Was thinking about it, yeah," the one closest to her said. She rolled her eyes again, gave a lazy flick of her wand and every Auror cried out in surprise when their wands were stripped from them and they were trapped in nets that hung in mid air.

"It took you hours to get through my wards," she goaded them, "Did you really think that I wouldn't have extra spells on my front porch? Now who is in charge of this raid?"

"I am."

Hermione looked in the direction of the net that had given her her answer. Sitting there, looking rather sullen inside his net, was Blaise Zabini, Auror Extraordinaire and Harry's second in command. Hermione smirked.

"I had a feeling I'd be seeing you Zabini," she said to him as she walked in his direction and stopped before him, "Though I didn't expect it to be so soon. Do you have a warrant or was this just a passing fancy? Did you even inform Harry of this?"

He pulled a small piece of parchment from his pocket and slipped it through one of the holes in his net, squirming at the mention of Harry's name. He had obviously chosen to by pass that little bi-law in warrant requisition then. She took a look at it in the moon light, noting that it was a warrant for Malfoy's arrest and her own. She had expected her name to be on that piece of paper, but it still ticked her off to see it.

"Who signed this?" She asked him briskly.

He ignored her. She rolled her eyes and poked her wand to his arm where the tip seared through his robes to his open flesh.

"Who. Signed. This?" She asked him again.

"Delores Umbridge! Delores Umbridge!" He said hurriedly trying to get away from her wand. Delores Jane Umbridge had somehow managed to snake her way back into the ministry and back into the Wizenagmot after the war had ended and she had been a thorn in Hermione's side ever since. She hadn't been there for any of Hermione's earlier trials but for cases like the Lestranges and Severus Snape, she had tried her best to make her job difficult.

"Merlin Granger, since when are you into torture?" Zabini complained.

"Since the person I'm torturing wants me tossed to the dementors!" She yelled at him.

"You're harbouring a fugitive!" He shot back.

"I saved a man's life!" She countered, "Last time I checked, that was a _good_ thing!"

"Not if it was Lucius Malfoy," he sneered, "That man hasn't got a right to live and neither does anyone who tries to help him!"

"Everyone has a right to live Zabini," she told him firmly, dangerously, icily cold, "If they didn't, we would still have Voldemort trying kill off innocent people left, right and centre!"

He shivered at the name but said nothing more.

"How long ago did you file for this?" She asked him.

"Smithy sent an owl to the ministry telling us of his sudden departure," one of the other Aurors told her, she didn't really care who, "The owl came to us first. It didn't say anything about your visit. We went to the Department of Traces and Trackers and it said that he was here. We thought at first that he had some how over powered you and taken you hostage but then we heard that you had taken his case."

"We went to several Wizenagmot members," another continued with scorn in her voice, "None of them would sign the warrant. Then we went to Umbridge and we got what we wanted."

"Of course she did," she whispered, looking more and more peeved by the minute, "That would have taken little under two hours. What have you been doing for the last three?"

"Trying to get through your guard dogs," one of them muttered. She looked at him quizzically…until she heard a loud bang from her front yard. Three tall male figures and a petite female came running into her view and she found herself breathing a sigh of relief as she saw them. Lavender, Harry, Rabastan and Severus. A very unlikely combination and yet the very combination she needed most.

"How badly were you out numbered?" She asked them as they got closer and stared in wonder at her handy work.

"Six to one," Lavender told her, "How did you-"

"Entrapment wards on the front porch that go off when I wave my wand or feel threatened," she explained, looking at each and every one of them, "I only have twenty of them here. Where are the rest?"

"We dealt to them," Harry told her looking quite aggravated, "I'm ashamed to say that my entire department is down here," he turned around to look at Zabini, putting his finger in his face pointedly, "You're fired."

"What the hell for?!" He asked incredulously.

"For going on a raid without informing me and going behind my back to get a warrant!" Harry roared back. Who knew he had so much authority in that calm voice of his, "All warrant requisitions have to go through the head of department before you even _think_ about going to the Wizenagmot! In fact, who signed it?"

"Umbridge of course," Hermione told him with a bored sigh, handing over the parchment.

"Is Umbridge going to be a problem for us?" Rabastan asked her with concern.

"She may be if we don't handle this with delicacy," she told him before turning to Severus, "Could you please go inside and check on Malfoy while we sort this out?"

"Wouldn't it be best if he came with you for this?" He asked her patiently.

"No," she shook her head adamantly, "This is more about me than anything else, and the actions I took this afternoon. I need him away from the Wizenagmot as much as possible until his trial. If there's any more trouble while we're away, let me know."

She wasn't quite prepared for him to listen to her as he did. She knew that he didn't agree with her methods, but he knew that she would do all she could to defend her client.

"Lavender," she said as she turned to the girl, "I'm not going to need any research for this but it would be most helpful if you could go and wake up Kingsley Shaklebolt and have him bring an emergency trial together for me. If he asks why, just tell him that I need some help and he should come running. And tell him that he should get opposing counsel for Malfoy's case up as well. No doubt they'll want to see this."

"Is that really wise?" Rabastan asked her.

"I'm not taking any chances. There could be evidence in this that they might try to punish me for not giving to them," she told him before turning back to Lavender, "If you don't know where to go, get Harry to show you after he's dealt with his stupid department."

Harry gave another glare at Zabini at her words but said nothing more as Lavender swept off. If Hermione were a different person, she would have informed him that she could bring the idiot to court on counts of treason against the ministry…but she wasn't a different person, no matter how much she wanted to be.

"What are we going to do?" Rabastan asked her.

"We're going to my office to prepare," she told him, linking her arm with his before turning to Harry, "Come and see me once you've dealt with this lot."

She had only seconds to register his nod of ascent before the familiar sensation of apparation took over.


	3. The First Motion

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Chapter Three: The First Motion

"Quiet!" Shaklebolt ordered as the room fell silent. Hermione stood in the middle of it all with Rabastan by her side looking cool and confident as she gazed up into the faces of all the tired and disgruntled Wizenagmot before her. Three a.m. was hardly a good time for a trial. They were either leering at her or giving her a courteous smile, each and every one of them having seen her in action before either on the battle field or in the court room.

"This court is now in session," Kingsley stated, "Emergency hearing called forth for the discipline of Hermione Jean Granger and-wait, where's Malfoy?"

"Safely tucked away at my home under close watch," Hermione told them.

Kingsley licked his lips nervously, something Hermione hadn't failed to notice. She scrutinized him for a few moments, suspicion clouding her gaze. It was when she looked over at the other members of the court that she realised that _all_ of them, except for Umbridge of course, were looking nervous.

"Not that Malfoy," Kingsley said quietly, "I mean his son."

"His son?" Rabastan asked, "What does Draco have to do with this?"

Hermione looked at them all again before gazing into the media and spectator stands where Harry and Lavender were sitting, awaiting her trial. They looked nervous too for some reason. Something was not right about this. The court was completely empty but for the fifty Wizenagmot members and those on her side…

"Where is the prosecution?" She asked quietly, staring Kingsley directly in the face, hoping, praying that he wouldn't answer as she thought she would. It was just too horrible to think of, to awful to even contemplate.

"The prosecution is right here."

She closed her eyes in frustration at the sound of his toneless voice and turned slowly to face him. He didn't have his usual smirk or his arrogant demeanour. He had calmed and matured since the war had ended and had shown it by treating her as an equal ever since, but she had a feeling that she would never be equal in his eyes again after today. He had this look about him of quiet unyielding anger, something she hadn't seen from him since she set his mother free. She didn't know the story behind that, nor did she ever care to ask. It was none of her business. He walked towards her and stopped directly in front, barely foot from her body and glared down. She glared straight back more out of defiance than anything else.

"What ever the Minister is paying you to take this case," he said to her quietly, coldly, "I will pay you double to drop it in someone else's lap."

"Do you really think me so low?" She hissed back.

"No," he told her snidely, "I think you to be smart. I don't want to hurt you Granger, but if you don't drop this case this very minute I might have to."

"Are you afraid that I might win?" She asked him.

"No," he whispered, "I'm afraid of what I might have to do to stop you. My father is not getting out of prison."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

She turned her back on him with a final glare and addressed the Wizenagmot for the first time since he walked in.

"Witches and Wizards of the Wizenagmot," she said confidently, clearly, "I called for this immediate trial not only to sort out my own charges, which could be done easily before the Minister only, but to make a motion for Lucius Malfoy to be placed under house arrest."

"Why couldn't that have been done later on this morning?" One of them grumbled.

"All in good time Professor Slughorn," Hermione gave him a smile, "Right now I wish to discuss Lucius Malfoy's current situation. It would be better for my client to be placed under my care."

"Is the prosecution amenable to this?" Kingsley asked Malfoy.

"No we are not," he told him, "Lucius Malfoy is a highly dangerous wizard who is a danger, not only to society but to his own Law Enforcer."

Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered "oh please."

"He is capable of causing havoc with or without magic," Malfoy continued, "And his track record-"

"Isn't applicable to this hearing," Hermione interrupted, "He has no wand, his physical strength is severely diminished and he will not get a fair trial if he is unable to take the-"

"He is adept at wandless magic," Malfoy interrupted her this time, "And the dementors have not had such a hold that his physical strength would have all but disappeared-"

"However his sister in law and her husband have done what _they_ can to shorten his life," She stated snidely, "Besides, how would you know? You haven't seen him since he went inside."

"Regardless of whether I've seen him or not, I have still heard stories from others inside Azkaban-"

"Death Eaters?" She asked lightly, "Common criminals? Scum bags? Low lives? Those desperate enough to say anything to get out of prison? Do stop me when I get it wrong."

"Right, and he isn't just as desperate?" Malfoy countered, "He is the bottom of the cess pool."

"Motion to strike that from the record," Hermione turned to the Wizenagmot, "If the prosecution wishes to try this case properly he should refrain from personally attacking my client."

"Then your client shouldn't be such a bastard-"

"Objection!" Hermione said fiercely, "Screw the motion to strike from the record, I want this entire case dropped!"

"On what grounds?" Kingsley asked her.

"On the grounds that this is completely and utterly ridiculous!" Hermione told him with more passion than she had ever used in her life, "You have a victim defending her enemy, a son trying to destroy his father and a man who will never get a fair trial where he stands! If this is not the meaning of the saying "conflict of interest" then I don't know what is and do not try and fool me into thinking that you will keep an open mind because you and I both know that you won't! You each have your own agenda to satisfy, no matter how secretly you guard it!"

"You are out of order Miss Granger," Kingsly told her sternly.

"If you ask me this entire court is out of order," she told him, her frustrations with him and the rest of the world suddenly pouring out, "You ordered me to take this case Minister! Now you too must live with the consequences of your actions."

She suddenly felt a cool hand on the small of her back and she looked out of the corner of her eye at Rabastan.

"This is not the way to get them to give you what you want," he hissed at her.

"At the moment I don't really care," she hissed back.

"If you want to win, then you will care," he told her before stepping forward.

"Back to the matter at hand," he addressed the Wizenagmot, "We first make a motion for the charges against Miss Hermione Granger to be dropped-"

_Ahem, ahem._

Hermione rolled her eyes at the sound of the fake little cough in the corner.

"The Wizenagmot recognises Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister," Kingsley drawled.

"Thank you Minister," she said sweetly, giving him a courteous nod before turning back to Rabastan, "Mr Lestrange, on what grounds would you possibly have Miss Granger's case dropped? She helped a convicted Death Eater escape from prison and is now keeping him under lock and key at her home. The resident guard sent an owl the moment she left, the tracking spell on his magic showed where he was…What more evidence do you need to prove that she committed a crime that she should be punished for?"

"We aren't denying that Miss Granger removed Lucius Malfoy from the prison," Rabastan told them, "However the circumstances of that removal were a genuine emergency."

"What kind of emergency?"

"The Wizenagmot recognises Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Kingsley stated.

"Lucius Malfoy fell unconscious and near death the moment we entered the interrogation cell he was lodged in," Ranastan told her, "Miss Granger thought it best to take him out of the prison in order to save his life."

"Do you have any evidence of this?" Kingsley asked them.

"Will memories suffice?" Rabastan asked and the Minister nodded. He stepped forward, placing his wand at his temple, withdrawing a long silvery substance that was neither liquid nor gas. He placed it in a glass vile that he conjured from thin air and gave it to the Minister. The Minister placed it inside the large bowl that was before him. The bowl was a Projector Pencieve. It was a new innovation since the war had ended. Instead of sucking the viewer into the memory, the memory was played out in the open for all to see. Hermione watched all of them as Malfoy collapsed before them and she went running. They looked troubled, curious and furious all at the same time. Troubled that he was so weak, curious as to how it would happen and furious that she would go to his side so quickly. She watched them as her other self considered her options. They knew she was thinking about this trial, the consequences of what was to come. They knew that she would come out firing on all pistons now that they had tried to arrest her and some of them looked frightened of this.

There was silence as the memories ended.

"It is hard to fake those kinds of memories," Kingsley declared, "Especially in the space of a few hours and I find it hard to believe that Mr Lestrange is in league with Mr Malfoy."

"Forgive me Minister, but how is that hard to believe?" Umbridge said in a sickly sweet tone and a tinkle of laughter, "They're both Death Eaters."

"Motion to strike that from the record," Hermione came to Rabastan's defence, "Mr Lestrange is not on trial here and I think we all remember that he was set free when he was."

"Motion granted," Kingsley nodded to her before turning to Umbridge, "Control yourself undersecretary."

Umbridge gave a nod to him in ascent.

"Add the memories to the hasty acts of the Auror Department and you have grounds for an immediate mistrial," Rabastan told them all.

"What do you mean 'hasty acts of the Auror Department'?" McGonagall asked him, "They had a warrant ready and waiting for them."

"But this warrant had not been approved by Mr Harry Potter, the Head of the Auror Department," Rabastan declared, "An act for which Mr Zabini has been fired and Mr Potter has placed the entire department under review for. I think we all know the law, but let me repeat it for good measure. Section three, paragraph thirty six, line twelve of the Auror Authority laws state that the Auror seeking the warrant must first go to their Head of Department for permission and _then_ seek a Wizenagmot member to sign the papers to make it official. Mr Potter did not give his permission for this, nor did he even know about it, therefore the warrant for Hermione Granger's arrest is unlawful and invalid."

"Very well," Kingsley nodded his head, "The charges against Miss Granger are officially invalid and the Wizenagmot shall punish the member responsible for signing the warrant unlawfully if it is Miss Granger's wish."

Hermione couldn't help but smirk as Umbridge squirmed a little in her seat.

"As for Malfoy-"

"Minister I implore you to see reason!" Malfoy suddenly burst out, "Lucius Malfoy would surely find a way to escape or harm Miss Granger if given the chance!"

"And how would he do that?" Hermione asked him coolly, "When I have someone guarding him full time. How would he get near me when I have all of my staff, each and every one of them trained and gifted wizards, living in my house with me? Your father will not be allowed a single moment to himself."

"You don't know him like I do Granger," he said as he suddenly turned desperate. He looked almost wild as he approached her, standing very close to her once again, "He will destroy you once he gets what he wants. He did it to my mother, he did it to me. It's only a matter of time before he takes your life too."

"Who is now in your employ Miss Granger?" McGonagall suddenly asked her.

Hermione slowly turned from Malfoy to face the Wizenagmot and McGonagall.

"I have myself and Mr Lestrange of course, who will be defending Lucius Malfoy," she told the older woman, "Severus Snape, as you well know, will serve as Lucius Malfoy's minder and body guard. Lavender Brown will be my research assistant and Harry Potter will serve as my own body guard."

"From Malfoy?" McGonagall asked.

"From everyone else," Hermione clarified, "This case will likely bring more danger to me than anyone else for being forced into something I did not want. The least you as a whole, as the people who are meant to uphold justice in this country can do, is make my job that much easier. Let _me_ keep an eye on him for the duration of his trial and when this is all over, you may do with him what you will."

They all stared down at her with different expressions. McGonagall showed admiration for her, Kingsley showed gratitude towards her and Umbridge was still busy squirming. Others looked at her impassively or without concern.

"I have taught and fought with all of her staff but one and even then I know that Mr Lestrange is capable of defending himself as well as others," McGonagall addressed the Wizenagmot, "They are all very capable in their respective fields as well as on the battle field. As long as she has them by her side, there is no chance for Malfoy to escape."

"But is his escape what we are really worried about?" One of the other members asked out of the blue, "Mr Draco Malfoy is right. Lucius is manipulative. He could destroy her."

"Are you forgetting who she _is_ Macmillan?" Kingsley asked him, "She is the smartest witch of your generation, and more than likely of mine as well. If anyone can live with Lucius Malfoy for several months and come out in one piece, it's her."

"Ernie, you know me," Hermione pleaded to him, "You know what I'm capable of, you've fought by my side and you've competed with me in class. Surely you have more faith in me than this."

Ernie scrutinized her for a few moments but she could have sworn that he gave her a slight nod. She gave him an almost nonexistent smile in return.

"We shall put it to a vote," Kingsley declared.

"You can not be serious!" Malfoy burst out indignantly.

"If all members of the Wizenagmot agree," Kingsley continued as though Malfoy was not there, "Then Lucius Malfoy shall be released into the care of Hermione Granger during his trial period."

She gazed at them all as they got ready to cast their votes. She prayed that they would swing in her favour, hoping that her efforts had been just enough to secure her wishes.

"All those in favour of placing Lucius Malfoy under house arrest until his conviction or release, raise your hand."

At first nothing happened. They all just sat there like dumb monkeys in a cage, waitinf for a banana…then hands began to rise. One after the other, they filled the air. Kingsley…McGonagall…Macmillan…Slughorn…Peterson…Jeffries …Pilchard…Cross. And then there was but one vote to be cast. Umbridge sat there looking nervous and undecided. On the one hand she hated Hermione more than anything and on the other she wished to save her own skin. She sat there glaring nervously at the girl before her, trying desperately to make up her mind. Hermione conceded to herself that it was not an easy vote. Hate was a very powerful motivator, something she knew all to well. But there was only one thing that was stronger…self preservation.

"Madam Umbridge?" Kingsley asked, "Do you oppose the motion?"

Umbridge twitched a bit as she looked at him and he sent her a pointed look to make up her mind. With a sigh, she finally raised her hand and shook her head at the Minister. Hermione internally breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the woman's ugly rings go into the air and heard Kingsley's hammer come down on its stool to signify the passing of the motion. Lestrange visibly relaxed as he stood next to her and Malfoy shook his head and closed his eyes in frustration and what looked like fear.

"This trial is now concluded," Kingsley stated, "Miss Granger, you are free to go. If you wish to press charges against the member who signed your warrant then you may do so at a later date. You should also know that Lucius Malfoy is now your responsibility. Should anything happen to him or should he escape while he is in your care, you will be held personally responsible. Now if you all don't mind, I would like to go back to bed."

Hermione gave a small smile and breathed deeply in relief as she watched all the Wizenagmot members leave the court room. She herself was about to leave with Lestrange by her side when Malfoy stopped in front of her again.

"You're making a mistake Granger," he whispered to her, "If he doesn't kill you then someone else from the outside will. Potter and Snape may be able to stop the common fanatics but you can guarantee that Death Eaters will get past them to get to both my father and you. Don't take this as a threat-"

"I wasn't going to," she told him softly, "But I can't drop your father's case. I've been subpoenaed into this. The only way to get out is if the Minister revokes the order and he won't do that. He has too much at stake here."

He looked slightly shocked, unable to hide his surprise beneath his usual cool mask. He then gave her a look of sympathy before he gave her his last word.

"I feel sorry for you Granger," he said softly, "But I'm not going to go easy on you. My father will not get out of prison."

"And as I said before," she told him just as quietly, "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

She walked away from him then, with Rabastan, Harry and Lavender by her side, wondering where she would go next, where this case would lead her in time.


	4. The Morning After

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Chapter Four: The Morning After

They walked out into the Atrium in silence, Hermione silently brooding and thinking over what her next plans would be now that she knew who the prosecution was. Knowing Malfoy, he would have a team just as skilled as her own in place to help him damage her case, though unlike her he wouldn't have a shortage of people lining up to help him. She promised herself that she would figure it out later. Three in the morning was hardly any time to think.

"Lavender," she turned to the girl next to her, "I want you to go home and collect your things. You move in tonight."

She turned to Harry.

"The same goes for you," she said, "Just tell Ginny that I'm going to need you for most of the year. If Ron hasn't told her and the rest of his family why by now, I'll eat my wand."

"I'm sure she'll understand," Harry nodded, "And it's not like I won't be able to see her-"

She suddenly latched onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks and stared him hard in the face.

"Harry," she said quietly, "If it weren't for the mix of her temper and her history with Malfoy I would have her move in too, for safety purposes, but because she finds it hard to control herself at the best of times…If you want her to stay safe you will stay as far away from her as possible."

"Hermione the public aren't going to go nuts-"

"You saw who the prosecution was," she said hotly, "If Draco can put all of his effort into sending his own father to prison, what do you think the rest of the wizarding world is going to do? Just sit there and twiddle its thumbs? You've seen the horrors of this world just as much as I have," he flinched slightly as her voice became deathly cold, "You know what these people have done, what Lucius Malfoy has done…nothing we say or do will stop his victims trying to exact revenge on him and punish us for defending him."

He stood there and looked at her for a few moments, knowing that she was right. Wizards had been known to go to extreme measures in the past on both sides of the line. While Voldemort had been more open about it, there had been those behind the curtains on the side of the ministry, on the side of the Order, whose minds had been in such dark places that they resorted to anything to get what they thought they wanted. And when they had it…they wept for their mistakes. The Wizarding world _would_ feel guilty if they hurt Lavender or Rabastan or Snape or Hermione or himself…or Ginny. He wasn't willing to let it come to that.

"Go home to your wife," Hermione whispered to him, placing her hand on his shoulder, "See her one last time before things get ugly."

He nodded, gave her one last hug and then disappeared inside a fireplace. Hermione then took a deep breath and turned to face Rabastan.

"Your child will not be so fortunate will she?" She asked him.

He shook his head and she sighed.

"Bring her with you when you move in," she told him.

He looked at her, shocked and slightly confused at her generosity. She gave him a soft and weary smile, one that truly showed how tired she was. The day had been long for the both of them and the days would only get longer now.

"You are doing me a great favour by helping me defend a man that you truly hate," she said softly, "If I can do something to ease your state of mind concerning your family then I will. She is an innocent. She doesn't deserve to be punished by the evils of the world like we were."

He gave her a nod of understanding.

"Bring her tonight and put her to bed. My wards will be down for you," she told him, "We'll meet everyone at breakfast and begin introductions and planning in the morning."

He nodded one more and he too disappeared into a fireplace. Hermione gave one last look around before she flooed back to her home. She staggered out of the fire place with a heavy sigh and threw her outer robes onto her couch before collapsing onto it herself. What a day this had been…and a successful one at that. She leaned her head back against the back and closed her eyes. Not all days would be this successful. After now seeing who the prosecution was, after now seeing what lengths she would have to go to, to have the simplest of motions passed, it was only obvious that she would never be able to get all the charges dropped.

"Miss Granger?"

She opened her eyes and looked up to see Severus and Lucius standing in the doorway. They were both the epitome of calm as they looked at her, though subtle changes in Severus alerted her to slight concern for her physical person. She gave him a weak smile to show she was alright. He would never admit that he cared for her, even if it was only slightly, but just the fact that he did was enough.

"Don't you know that it's rude to disturb your hostess while she's sleeping?" She asked tiredly.

"Perhaps we wouldn't if said hostess went to bed," Severus told her sardonically.

She rolled her eyes at him but said nothing.

"How did the hearing go?" He asked her. Lucius stayed at the doorway as Severus came to sit by her, conjuring a cup of tea out of thin air and passing it over to her.

"Well," she said dramatically after a sip, "It has now come to my attention that this case is going to be far more difficult than I thought."

"How so?" Lucius asked, finally moving from the door to stand by her coffee table.

"On top of the fact that the entire wizarding world will be out to get me by morning," she told him acidly, "You have several members of the Order of the Phoenix on the Wizenagmot. I have a feeling you would be there too Severus if I hadn't gotten to you first."

"Who elected them?" He asked her.

"I think that it may have been Umbridge," she moaned, "That woman has been a thorn in my side ever since I left her to the centaurs."

Malfoy looked confused.

"Don't ask," Severus told him.

"Surely having the Order on the stands would make it an advantage for us," Malfoy stated.

"Unfortunately Mr Malfoy, your reputation is far greater than mine," she told him coldly, "If you were any other person this would be a big deal of help. However you are who you are and we can not change that, nor can we obliviate twenty five members of the Wizenagmot."

"Twenty five?" Severus asked incredulously, "Out of fifty? Umbridge could not have ordered such a number to be replaced."

"No but she still has enough money to bribe at least six originals to leave," she told him, "Another four put in for retirement about a week ago, eight are away on vacation in France, Spain or Yemen and the rest would have been arrested for certain indecent acts in their youth and forced out as a deal so that they wouldn't have their gold taken off them. Umbridge would then swoop in when the Minister is at a crisis trying to find decent people to take their place that would be unbiased, and she would tell him that she would take care of it. The Minister would then whole heartedly approve all the Order members she's gone and listed, having more faith in them than what he should. He's naïve to think that they'll be objective and Umbridge knows this very well. This means we now have to fight twice as hard."

The two of them stared at her with mild surprise on their faces as she leaned back against the couch once more.

"This also means that the case will be put forward a few months," she stated.

"They can't do that," Severus said quietly.

"They can if they have half the votes," she told him with a dark smile, "Malfoy will put in a motion-"

"Malfoy?" Lucius asked quietly, his mask finally breaking, his shocked silence now revealed.

"Oh did I forget to mention?" Hermione with deliberate exaggeration, "Your _son_ is trying to put you in prison. So sorry about that."

Lucius looked deep in thought as he turned away from her and leaned against the fireplace. His head was bowed and his brow was creased. He said nothing more to her and Hermione had a feeling that the way she had let him know stung him quite a bit. Good.

"As I was saying," she picked up where she left off, "Malfoy will put in for a motion to have the trial date moved forward. I have a feeling that he'll ask for two weeks from now but the Wizenagmot will take pity on me and give me at least four weeks before this madness begins."

"Why would he ask for it to be moved forwards?" Severus asked sceptically, "Surely he would relish all the time he has to build a case-"

"To save himself personal embarrassment," Lucius cut in, "That was the first thing I taught him when he was a boy. Do everything you can to save face. Not only that, there will be a long line of those willing to testify against me and no shortage of evidence. He doesn't _need_ months to build a case."

"And I do," Hermione finished for him, "He's got everything he needs so he's going to do what he can to make sure I'm as under prepared as possible."

"What makes you think your predictions are going to come true?" Lucius asked her, "Last time I looked you were no seer."

"There's a reason I'm the smartest witch of my age Mr Malfoy," she told him icily, "And there's a reason why I'm the best there is in my department. I may not be able to see the _future_, but I do see _people_."

"She tells the truth Lucius," Severus said quietly, "She was able to predict my entire trial based upon who was there and what was said during the first hearing. Although I believe this method has its faults," she smirked at this, "It can be useful."

"What method?" Lucius asked as he turned to face them.

"We'll discuss it in the morning," Hermione told him as she stood from the couch, "Thank you for the tea but I would rather like to go to bed now. Severus, your room is just across from mine and Mr Malfoy's is next to yours. I think you'll remember the lay out of my house quite easily. Goodnight."

With that, she walked up her stairs to her bedroom hallway and closed the door behind her with a soft click, falling onto her bed in a heap of hair, clothes and shoes until the first morning light.

***

She woke the next day to the smell of coffee. Strong, rich, wonderful coffee. She opened her eyes slowly, letting her other senses kick in. She could smell the coffee, taste the dryness of her tongue, see her bedroom ceiling and feel the blanket that had been draped over her sometime during the early hours of the morning. Harry must have been in to see that she was alright. She stretched out from under the duvet and noticed that she had been stripped down into her under garments. Yep, definitely Harry. Only he could invade her privacy like that without being heard, seen or murdered. She didn't mind in the slightest that he had undressed her. It was like after Ron's welcome home party; he only did it to make sure she was more comfortable. She even did it to him on occasion. Their relationship was so closely plutonic that it just didn't matter anymore. She gave a slight yawn and looked at the clock noticing that it was well past ten. Considering she no longer had to go into work she didn't really care. She put on a black satin bath robe after she extracted herself from her bed and moved down to the kitchen slowly, listening for sounds of commotion. There was none. Obviously the rest of her new found housemates hadn't gotten up yet. She was more than prepared for a few brawls to break out during the course of this trial and there were more than a few pairings that she was expecting.

Rabastan and Harry were one. Harry was constantly throwing little jibs at the man any chance he got and Rabastan's temper wasn't exactly tame when it came to the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Kick-Voldemort's-Scaley-Behind. She also expected Rabastan to pick a fight with Severus at some point as well, considering there was still some bad blood there and the man was now responsible for Malfoy's safety. That was bound to piss anyone off.

Then of course she had the whole Severus and Harry possibility. There was no longer any doubt about the man's loyalty but Severus was still a snarky bastard at the best of times and there was still the whole Severus loving Lily thing that was constantly playing on Harry's mind as well as the nasty treatment that he had suffered at the professor's hands. It was also more than likely that Lavender would have a few choice words for Severus as well, considering none of their educations had been pleasant while in his hands, but Lavender was relatively easy to handle.

Then there was Malfoy and everyone else. She wasn't so naïve to think that Harry would hold back just because he was her friend, or that Rabastan would play nice because he was doing her a favour. She knew that they would all be out to get him just as much as the rest of the world only they would do it more subtly for Hermione's sake. That was mostly the reason she had appointed Severus to look after Lucius. He was the only man in the world who could stand to be in Malfoy's company and not want to kill him.

Hermione walked into the kitchen slowly, seeking out the coffee with interest. When she entered, she came face to chest with a half naked Rabastan.

"Would you mind putting a shirt on?" She asked him only half irritated as he helped her off the floor, "I prefer to knock into men who are fully dressed. That way _Witch Weekly_ can't start any rumours."

"I'll keep that in mind," he laughed as he poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her.

"You're a god send you know that?" she sighed into her cup, taking a sip, "Oh Merlin it's strong too!"

"Don't get too excited," he said with a smirk, "Are you always this easily aroused?"

"Only when it comes to coffee," she told him through half lidded eyes and he chuckled before taking a sip of his own.

"I remember Harry tried to make me coffee once," she told him, "Back in sixth year after Slughorn's Christmas party, right before I was due to leave with my parents. I ended up spitting it all over Ron because he had put salt in there instead of sugar."

"Poor Weasley," he laughed.

"Not really," she told him with a smirk, "He was being a right prat that year."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while until the subject at hand could no longer be ignored.

"So what's our plan going to be?" He asked her quietly, "There's no way that we can get all these charges dropped. Perhaps if he pleaded guilty-"

"No," she shook her head, "He won't do that."

"It's in his best interest-"

"It doesn't matter how much it's in his best interest," she told him, "He won't do it. He's just spent the last three years in hell. He won't go back there, no matter how much the sentence is reduced."

"We could have him kept under house arrest for the rest of his sentence," Rabastan shot back, "Prison isn't the only option."

"It's the only option the Wizenagmot will allow. You saw the looks on their faces last night. You don't need my powers of observation to know that they want him to hang."

"Then how will you change their minds?"

They each turned to see her other three staff members standing in the doorway, Malfoy having already made his way into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of tea. They were each in their night clothes, Malfoy and Severus the only ones who were fully dressed. Severus had obviously conjured him some robes. Harry was much like Rabastan, clad in only pyjama pants and Lavender was wearing a rather short nightdress. They each took their respective places at the table. Harry sat beside her on her right and Rabastan stayed to her left. Lavender sat next to Harry and Severus and Lucius took their places at the opposite end of the long dining table.

"You said that they already want him to hang?" Lavender asked.

"Who wouldn't," Harry muttered and Rabastan snorted. Hermione jabbed themm in the ribs.

"Be nice," she muttered to them both.

They each looked at her with disdain…before looking at each other with disdain…and then looking at Malfoy with equal disdain. So much disdain was not healthy in such a small kitchen.

"Perhaps now would be a good time for a miniature meeting before we get everything under way?" Hermione asked

"No time like the present," Lucius stated quietly while taking a sip of tea. It was remarkable that he could work a tea pot without magic, in her opinion. It was even more remarkable that he was being so civil. It was one thing for him to obey her when he was in dire need of her care but it was entirely another for him to sit there and take all the glares that were being sent to him around the room. Either he had had a drastic personality change in the last three years or Azkaban had damaged him even further than she had originally thought. Hermione turned to Rabastan.

"Where's your daughter?" She asked him softly.

"Still sleeping," he told her, "She probably won't be up until noon so we have plenty of time."

"Right then," she said loudly so that everyone could hear, "Let me just start by thanking you all for being here. I know it's not easy but without all of your help I wouldn't have a hope in hell of winning this case. I think it's safe to say that I'll owe you all for the next life time if this turns out well."

They all silently nodded in agreement, Malfoy staring at his tea in concentration.

"Why don't we start with introductions? We all know Severus and Harry and the jobs they will be doing for us," she continued, "We're going to need them more than anything when this trial starts. Lavender Brown," the girl nodded to her, "Will be my research assistant, for want of a better word."

Harry stared at her confusedly for a few moments and then back at Lavender who was smiling proudly. Malfoy just gazed at the girl with interest. She was one of the very few he had never met out on the battle field.

"Is there something I missed?" Harry asked, "For want of a better word?"

Snape rolled his eyes at the boy.

"No brain as always Potter," he sneered, "If you had been paying attention at the trial yesterday you would know what Miss Brown is supposed to do."

"At least I-"

"Enough!" Hermione said to the two of them, "You are not here to argue, you are here to listen," Harry stared away from the other man in distaste and Severus gave Hermione a small nod to continue, "Lavender will dig up any dirt on witnesses, the prosecution, the Wizenagmot and every spectator in that court room. We're going to need every piece of blackmail and dirty information we can get."

"I'm essentially a spy," Lavender jumped in, "Hermione needs a pair of eyes and ears in the ministry that will be able to hear the things she doesn't. After all, now that she's trying this case, people will hardly wish to talk to her anymore will they?"

"I wonder whose fault that is," Rabastan muttered.

"And what will you do with this information?" Malfoy asked Hermione, "I can hardly see you handing it over to the Aurors who will be most interested to hear that Garth Peterson was once caught by his mother torturing a small muggle child when he was thirteen."

"Well if that kind of information turns out to be true and I need Peterson's vote to keep you out of prison I will use it to blackmail him," she told him coldly.

"How very…Ungryffindorish of you," he smirked.

"I stopped playing at house rivalries a long time ago Mr Malfoy I suggest you do the same," she told him before returning to her original topic, "Rabastan Lestrange is here for the legal aspect of this trial. If there are any laws or regulations that I happen to miss, he'll pick it up for me. In addition to this, he'll take the witnesses that require special attention to detail when my mind is otherwise occupied with…other things."

"Other things?" Malfoy asked.

"You'll see once we get in there," she waved him off, "Rabastan is also there to make sure I don't go overboard."

"Overboard?" Severus asked.

"Think back to your trial Severus," she told him, "What was one thing I was constantly doing?"

With a small nod of his head she knew that he understood, even if the rest of the room was left confused. They would all see what she meant in due course.

"So if he is here for the legal role," Malfoy asked, "What will _you_ do? I didn't hire you to sit there and look pretty"

"You didn't hire me at all," she told him icily, "I'm there for the performance."

He, Lavender and Harry looked at her quizzically. Severus rolled his eyes and Rabastan chuckled and took another sip of coffee.

"I think you'll have to explain it to them Granger," he said to her, "Not one of them has seen the inside of your mind before so they won't know how your methods work unless you tell them."

"And how do you know what's on the inside of her mind?" Harry asked sharply.

"I know what's on the inside of many things, Potter," he said with an evil smirk on his face. Hermione rolled her eyes and jabbed them both in the ribs again.

"He's been in court with me before Harry," she told him as he rubbed his side, "He was the prosecution while I was defending Narcissa."

Lucius ever so subtly raised his eyebrows but said nothing. He hadn't seen or heard from his ex-wife since he went to prison and he very much doubted that he ever would again.

"I want you to forget everything you've ever been told about court cases and the Wizenagmot," she said to them, "The first thing I learned when I entered the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was that guilt and innocence mean nothing if you don't know how to convey it. Trials aren't about facts or numbers or even the one being sentenced to life in prison. It's all about performance and choosing what kind of performance to give."

"I don't understand," Harry shook his head.

"Put it this way Potter," Rabastan took over, "Say your writing a play. The plot is brilliant, the lines are flawless and everyone who's read the script loves it. It could be the most brilliant piece of writing the world has ever seen but without decent actors it'll be a flop. For Granger it's the same with court cases. The prosecution could build up the best case possible, absolutely brilliant with all the witnesses and evidence lined up, but as long as we present our own case in the right way and we force them into the wrong performance, we can take them apart."

"I believe this is why the Minister came to me," Hermione said softly, "I know the Wizenagmot just enough to know how to play it and my powers of persuasion are just enough to put me in with a chance."

"You are that confident in yourself?" Malfoy asked her. Harry glared daggers at him.

"No," she told him, "But I can make it look like I am. I think it's also the reason why Draco was chosen. He's just as good at this game as I am if he puts his mind to it. He uses a similar method to mine but for it to work he needs to be completely in control of his emotions and that's why he's been kept off of the Death Eater trials until now. I think the one who chose him to prosecute you was hoping that he would be able to look past the personal aspects of this case…but from what I saw last night I don't think he'll be able too."

Malfoy kept his eyes firmly on his tea as she spoke and said nothing.

"I think your first job after breakfast Lavender," Hermione continued, "Will be to find out who's on his team. He's not an idiot; he won't go in this alone. And after that you'll need to find out who elected him for the job. Clearly they have no brain cells with the disaster their turning this trial into."

"Perhaps that is their intent?" Malfoy suggested, "Perhaps they wish to make a mockery of it to keep me in prison."

"Or cause Draco pain," Lavender suggested.

"Or drag out the trial," Severus jumped in.

"Or just to make my life difficult," Hermione finished, "Motive will be something you'll need to establish Lavender."

She gave a nod, conjuring a quill and parchment out of thin air to write it down.

"I think I'll be able to get some information out of the Department of Archives and Histories," she muttered, "And maybe if I manipulate your boss a bit I might be able to get something out of him too."

"He likes them with big breasts and red hair," Hermione informed her, "And has a thing for domination."

"How would you know?" Harry asked her, looking slightly frightened.

"You would be surprised what you hear through three walls and a water cooler," Hermione smirked and Rabastan cringed.

"I'll never forget that day," he shuddered, "I just happened to be walking by his office door when the woman started using the whip."

"After breakfast I'll need both Rabastan and Mr Malfoy in my upstairs office," she concluded, "We'll begin building our case then."


	5. Parallel

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the next bit. Sorry it took so long but I'm on holiday as of tomorrow so hopefully I'll have more time to write after this weekend. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it and again let me know if you are confused or have any queries.**

**Ciao!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter five: Parallel

She walked through the Ministry with a swing in her hips and seductive air. Her red hair was just as fiery as her determination to get what she wanted and it showed. Her choice of career had sometimes forced her into this kind of situation, with big time bosses who held big time stories inside their supposedly big time pants. She was well adept at being seductive, sexy, sultry and commanding all at the same time. This was nothing unusual. And the venue was nothing knew either. The ministry often held big scoops within its thickly guarded walls just waiting to be brought out into the rest of the world. None of this had ever bothered her in the past and it didn't really bother her now…but…well…there was one thing that was absolutely ridiculous. One thing that really got up her nose. Whatever Hermione had been thinking…it was completely ludicrous. She managed to sneak inside one of the bathrooms and look at herself in the mirror before she ventured into the Head of Magical Law Enforcement's office.

Her hair was lovely. She was actually thinking about keeping it that way.

Her outfit was great. A black leather trench coat and corset lingerie underneath fully equipped with Weasley Harpy Handcuffs, a shock charm whip and a few other…naughty devices.

Her shoes were high but nothing she couldn't manage.

Her eyes were a golden brown that she had never had before.

Her hips were more rounded.

Her thighs were a little thicker.

Her voice had been masked to be slightly deeper and a little sexier than before.

No. None of this was any problem at all. It was just…

"My boobs are huge!" She whispered to herself as she opened her coat and squeezed them while looking concerned. She was used to being a lovely C cup which was in perfect proportion with the rest of her body. Now she was an over whelming F that was just waiting to spill out of her lingerie. She had always been a modest woman in her own right…no, that was a lie, but the point was that this cleavage was completely ridiculous.

"I've gone from Carmen Electra to Dolly Parton!" She whispered in outrage. Hermione's weak explanation that she had seen the woman come out of Mr McKinnon's office and that she was bigger than a baboon's behind in heat was no longer holding any swagger. Though she had to admit the woman could do wonders with a wand. They didn't even look fake. They were obviously, but they certainly didn't look it. Lavender had never been one to complain…wait, no that was a lie too, but this point was still valid too. She actually had something to complain about this time.

She suddenly heard one of the loos flush behind her and she struggled to put her coat back together as a blond woman in her mid forties emerged with bulging eyes and expression that clearly said she knew what was going on.

"Who's the birthday boy?" She asked with a chuckle, "It's not McKinnon is it?"

"The very same," Lavender smirked, opening her coat again to show the woman, "I'm a gift from one of his clients off shore."

"He's going to love you sweetheart," the woman smirked again as she washed her hands but stopped once she caught sight of Lavender's chest once more, "Merlin! Are those real?"

Lavender smiled.

"Unfortunately yes," she told her, "I've been asking around for a good Magical Surgeon for a while but no one seems to be able to find me one that's good with breast reduction."

"Oh!"

The woman suddenly dove into her purse and pulled out a card. As she gave it to Lavender she explained.

"Try Dr Florentine on the Magical Surgery and Correction ward at St Mungo's," she told her, "He's brilliant with the chest. Enhanced mine about a year ago and I'll tell you, the men have been cuing for a chance to get at them! In your case I suppose your looking for a way to get rid of them, huh?"

"You can say that again," Lavender sighed, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Just drop in the floo sweetheart," she told her, "No appointments necessary."

Lavender gave a silly squeal and engulfed the older woman in a hug. She then did up her robe and headed out the door again. As she strutted into the elevator she took out her wand and incinerated the card.

"Idiot," she muttered with a smirk. Little did she know the older woman was muttering the same thing as she entered the floo network, changing her hair from blond to black and her age from forty to twenty two.

***

Staring. Such an odd thing to do and yet completely unavoidable when faced with a client who was completely mental. Rabastan couldn't help it as he gazed at Malfoy. Had Azkaban finally gotten to him? Or did his masochistic brother finally have his revenge by damaging Malfoy's brain?

"You want to plead innocent to _everything_?" He asked incredulously. Malfoy inclined his head to the man, "Ok, my sister in law may have been controlling my every move while Voldemort was in power but that doesn't mean I didn't have my lucid moments. I _saw_ you torture, pillage and plunder like the rest of them and you want to claim innocence?!"

He looked over to Hermione for help but she just sat there staring at Malfoy with a blank face. Rabastan could tell that she was fighting to control herself and therefore asked nothing of her. He saw her hand twitch towards her wand pocket. It was a good thing that she had forced both Harry and Severus to stay outside or otherwise all hell would have broken loose. He started to pace around the room. Nothing Hermione could have fathomed or predicted would have readied them for this. No matter how much they had known that Malfoy would want to plead innocent, it didn't stop them from being angry.

"Seeing is not always believing Mr Lestrange," Malfoy told him, "And you are generalizing my offences, not looking at them specifically."

Hermione suddenly got up from behind her desk and grabbed the files that were there. She walked over to where Malfoy was sitting on the sofa. She slammed several files onto the coffee table and held one in her hand while towering over him. She opened it to show graphic images of a wizard that had been burned alive.

"Marcus Paul," she said coldly, "Twenty three years old at the time of his death. Burned alive by an Inferno Maxima spell in Diagon Alley in February of 1996. There is an imprint of your old cane on his cheek."

She threw that file away and picked up another. This one contained pictures of a young woman, moving inside the white frame. She had a distant look in her eyes, like a child trying to make sense of the world around her.

"Amanda Price," she said even deadlier than before, "Fifteen years old in October 1997. Squib. Tortured into insanity. The prosecution has an eye witness that says you did it, and a reliable one at that."

She slammed that file even harder than before and picked up the last one that she was willing to show him, the one she had found hardest to view. She showed him the picture of an eight year old girl who sobbed uncontrollably, her tears leaking out of frame as she flipped the pages to the horrendous injuries to the little girl's body.

"Melanie Cooper," Hermione whispered, "She was eight years old when she was separated from her mother in January of 1998 and dragged into Knockturn Alley to be beaten, tortured and raped in a matter of hours. She had her hair ripped from her scalp, her limbs magically removed from her body and reattached and her bones broken over and over and over again. She is now eleven years old, unable to speak, frightened to go anywhere on her own and completely socially inept. She is also physically, mentally and magically scarred for the rest of her life, completely unable to make even the lightest feather levitate…One of your hairs was found on her body when she was found unconscious and barely alive."

Hermione walked away from him again, breathing very heavily as she turned her back to him and crossed her arms, trying as hard as she could to calm down and not murder him.

"I'm sorry Mr Malfoy," she said with her back still turned, "But if you want me to defend you properly, you need to give me something better than 'seeing isn't always believing'."

"What is the point in giving you anything else when you will not believe it?" He asked her quietly.

She turned to face him.

"Is what you have believable?" She asked him.

"Only if you keep an open mind," he told her, "Which you clearly will not-"

He was interrupted by a slight creaking of the door. A girl crept inside with a wide smile. Her hair was dirty blond and her eyes were a clear crystal blue that clearly belonged to her father. Rabastan gave a weary smile and walked over to his twelve year old girl, giving her a hug in the process.

"Aria I told you to wait for me down stairs," he said to her, "Daddy's working."

"I know," she smiled, "I just wanted to know when you wanted to start our lessons for the day. We've already missed Transfiguration and Herbology by sleeping."

Rabastan thought for a few minutes and then started to steer his daughter out of the room again.

"Wait," Hermione stopped him, "You home school her?"

"Yes," he nodded, "It's just easier that way."

Aria's head suddenly turned in Hermione's direction and her smile widened as she squealed and jumped up and down. Rabastan shook his head and closed his eyes in what appeared to be amused frustration.

"Aria," He said, "Meet Hermione Granger."

Aria ran up to Hermione instantly and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist. Hermione looked at Rabastan with raised eyebrows and an amused smile.

"You have a very affectionate daughter," she laughed, placing her hand on the girl's head.

"To my immense displeasure," Rabastan rolled his eyes as his daughter poked her tongue at him, "You are her idol. She has a wall in her bedroom with your pictures and articles all over it. No matter how many times I try to take the stuff down-"

"You shouldn't have taught me permanent sticking charms if you wanted the power to control my bedroom," the girl smirked from her leaning post. Hermione unstuck her from her body with a laugh and knelt down to the girl's level. She was quite short for her age.

"It's very nice to meet you Aria," she smiled, "Tell me, is your father always this irritated when my name is mentioned?"

Rabastan gave scowl that clearly gave her answer but she looked at Aria anyway.

"Always," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "You wouldn't _believe_ the things he says about you. I always tell him he's wrong though-"

"Aria it's time to go," he suddenly stepped forward and covered her mouth. Evidentially she must have bitten him because he leaped back as she glared at him.

"But I haven't told her all the names you call her," she complained, stomping her foot.

"Names?" Hermione asked with a smirk at Rabastan who looked uncomfortable as she turned back to the girl, "Aria I think you and I should talk-"

"I will make you the biggest chocolate chip sundae you've ever seen, by hand, from scratch if you get out of this room now," Rabastan suddenly said. Aria looked from Hermione to her father in rapid motion before she decided that her sweet tooth was far more important than informing her hero of her father's treachery. She ran out of the room with the loudest squeal that any of them had ever heard. Through out the entire discussion, Hermione and Rabastan had forgotten that Malfoy had been there and were quickly drawn back to reality when he gave a tiny cough. Rabastan looked back at Malfoy for a moment and then at the door where his daughter had previously been. He gave Lucius a firm scowl and purposefully marched out of the room. When Lucius turned to Hermione for explanation she shook her head.

"For someone so smart you can be rather dense," she told him, "We just finished reading a file about child rape when his daughter walked in."

Malfoy kept his cool mask as she said this but allowed a tiny shudder to rake through him at her words. She scrutinized him. There was a possibility that it was just an act, after all she was notorious through out her department for her little productions she put on in court. She generally knew when someone was acting and when they were being genuine. Malfoy was the first in a long time that had confused her. On top of this, she didn't want to believe that he was being genuine. It would mean having to admit that she was wrong about him, and being wrong about him was simply not possible. It would go against everything she stood for, everything she knew…but wasn't it her job to prove to the rest of the world that they were wrong about him? That he was innocent? Or repentant? Or what ever story they came up with to prove that he didn't deserve to be in Azkaban? She could curse the Minister for putting her in this position. How was she meant to defend a man who wished to plead innocent to everything he was charged with when she knew without a doubt that he was guilty? How was she supposed to do the best she could for him when his release would open a flood gate of hell for not only her but those around her? For Harry? For Ginny? And Lavender? And Rabastan and Aria? Even Severus would suffer for this.

She gave a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Mr Malfoy take a seat please," she asked of him. Once more he did as he was asked without question, though in all fairness there was a small narrowing of the eyes at being ordered whilst he wasn't bed ridden. He took his place on the sofa and Hermione opted to sit upon the glass coffee table in front of him. He was straight backed and she was leaning forward, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees for support.

"Mr Malfoy," she said delicately, "It has just occurred to me that this isn't just a matter of reclaiming your freedom. It's a matter of proving innocence. If the Wizenagmot, let alone the general public don't believe you are innocent then your life will be in danger."

"Isn't that why I hired you?" He asked her passively, "To prove my innocence?"

"No," she told him patiently, "I wasn't ordered to do this because I can prove you to be innocent. Far from it. I was hired because I know how to manipulate people into doing what I want them to do. With work and dedication I can get the Wizenagmot to let you go but proving your innocence…"

She looked up at him. He was still expressionless before her.

"I think that," she continued, "You may be safer inside Azkaban."

"No," he said simply.

"No?" She repeated in confusion.

"No," he repeated with conviction, "_You_ would be safer if I was in Azkaban."

"It's not myself that I'm thinking about Mr Malfoy-"

"No of course not," he said with quiet sarcasm, "You are thinking of Lestrange and Severus and Potter and Merlin knows who else you are affiliated with. Merlin forbid Miss Brown be hurt for her mistake to be involved with you."

She stared at him.

"Miss Granger," he continued, "You are one of the most self righteous, impertinent, self sacrificing Gryffindors this world has ever seen, but underneath it all you are a Slytherin like the rest of us. The only difference between you and I is that I know who I am and I do not attempt to hide it."

"No."

"No?"

"No," she told him with a scowl, "The differences between us are vast and many."

"Do give me a few examples," he challenged.

"I'm not a convicted death eater," she told him, "I'm not cruel like you are and I certainly did not worship the ground that Voldemort walked on."

"Is that all you can come up with?" He asked her.

"Just a few off the top of my head," she replied lightly.

"For the smartest witch of your age you can be rather obtuse," he told her, "Those aren't differences at all."

"Really?" She asked, "Do elaborate."

"In your opinion, being a Death Eater involved murder, torture and any other so called "evil" act you can think of," she gave a nod, "Tell me, what did your precious Order do when they were faced with a possible informant who refused to talk?"

She stared at him once more.

"You say you are not as cruel as I am, correct?" He asked and she nodded once more, though slightly hesitant, "Then tell me, when faced with a witness who refuses to co-operate, what kind of monster do you have to turn yourself into to get what you want from them in the court room?"

She stiffened.

"You say I worshiped the ground that Voldemort walked on?" He asked and she gave no response, "Do tell me, would you have given your life to defend Potter?"

"Harry is my best friend," she replied.

"And what about Albus Dumbledore?"

"He was a mentor," she told him.

"Yet he barely spoke two words to you while you were at school?" He asked her, "Oh yes, very good tutelage he gave you-"

"You shouldn't speak of things you don't understand," she told him warningly.

"And neither should you," Lucius replied coolly, "You may act as though you know and understand all but you are just as ignorant as I am when it comes to the other side. You have no idea how similar we really are."

He stood from his seat and towered over her with that infamous Malfoy look of superiority. A battle of wills commenced as he attempted to stare her down. She stared at him head on until his scrutiny became too much. She had never lost a staring contest before and so she felt a sting in her chest as she looked away. She could feel his smirk on her as he ventured to the door.

"Oh and one more question Miss Granger," he said with his hand on the door knob, "Just how many people did _you_ kill during the war?"

"Only those I could not save," she told him fiercely.

"Only those you could not save," he repeated quietly before giving her another smirk, "Only those you could not save? Or only those like me?"

She was caught by his response, after all, it was something she would not expect, but she recovered moments later with a glare as she stood and matched his height in her high heeled shoes as she walked over to him and stood just in front of the door.

"Do not try to play games with me Mr Malfoy," she told him coldly, "I am a woman who thrives on them and I will _bury_ you. I don't care that you are my client, I don't care that you would kill me if you got the chance, I am not afraid of you."

"Fear was not my intent," he said quietly, his breath tickling her chin, "And games are for children Miss Granger."

"Then you had best make your intentions clear in future," she said simply before she removed herself from him and walked out the door without so much as looking back. His eyes followed her with concern. Perhaps she should do the same before she buried them both with her ignorance.


	6. The Truth For Starters

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the next bit, hope you enjoy it and a big thank you to all those who reviewed my last chapters. And if you're getting worried that Lucius doesn't have a defense yet, don't worry, we're getting there. I'm still establishing the main plot here. This fic is going to be huge!

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Chapter Six: The Truth For Starters

Hermione stayed completely silent during dinner that night. She ran the conversation between herself and Malfoy over and over and over again inside her head. He was dropping hints, she knew that much, as to what though…well that was a different matter.

"_Only those you could not save? Or only those like me…"_

What could he have meant? There were many like him; devout Death Eaters with a taste for blood and nothing but cruelty and malice to think of. Strangled souls now starved of their source of nourishment and out for either revenge or repentance depending on what their mangled minds would allow them to choose. He was one of the lucky ones whose common sense was still intact without his master telling him where to go, what to do and who to assassinate next. But his words still stayed with her. They plagued her, tortured her into thinking that there was more than met the eye when she _knew_ that it was just plain and simple. Malfoy was a murderer, a rapist, a sadist, a Death Eater…the prosecution had evidence to support this as well as the many character witnesses that would be lined up to testify against him…his own son was trying to put him back inside. There couldn't possibly be anything more …could there?

"Hermione?"

She snapped out of her reverie to see Harry staring at her concernedly. It wasn't just him either. All members at the table, excluding Malfoy who continued to eat without concern at the counter, and Lavender who was not yet back from her mission, stared at her with upset expressions.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the last ten minutes," Harry told her softly, "Where were you?"

"Just thinking," she told him with a weary smile, "What is it you want?"

"I was just wondering if you'd heard from Ron today at all," he asked her, "I thought he would have come crawling back by now."

"Apparently he hasn't," she grumbled before stabbing her fork into the potato in front of her.

"And what would Weasley have a reason to grovel for?" Severus asked from the opposite end of the table where he and Malfoy sat.

"He blew his stack when he found out Hermione was defending that leech over there," Harry scowled.

"Well I'd be pissed too if I found out my best friend was defending a monster," Rabastan slipped in.

"In case you haven't noticed," Severus said quietly, bitingly, "_You're_ defending the same monster."

"And you're doing it by choice," Harry told him, "Hermione isn't."

"That's because I'm getting something out of it," Rabastan told them acerbically.

"Like gold?" Severus asked, "Or is it that you are being promised certain…favours if you win?"

Harry suddenly stood from his chair, his wand drawn, and an angry blaze in his eyes. He pointed the tip at Severus with a fierce jab.

"Don't you dare _ever_ speak about Hermione like that again!" He ordered.

"Harry, sit down!" Hermione ordered him in a ferocious command.

"He just called you-"

"It doesn't matter what he just called me," she told him strongly, "It was more of a jab at Rabastan anyway."

"At least _someone_ has a brain around here," Severus rolled his eyes.

"It took you a long time to notice," Hermione smirked at him.

"I never once denied your intelligence," he told her, "It was just your incorrigible need to express it that made me cringe in fear every time you walked into my classroom."

Through out this entire time, Malfoy continued to stare down at his plate. Even when they talked about him as though he was not there, he didn't even flinch. He just continued spooning mashed potato into his mouth and said nothing. He heard everything that was said, he had heard himself be called a monster, a murderer and Hermione practically called a common whore so that Severus could fight back for him against Lestrange and Potter. But as Hermione said, it didn't matter. It was why he had chosen to stay out of this fight and any others that might come. It was far more important that he and his law enforcer had an understanding than it was for him to have some demeaning victory over Potter or Lestrange.

He looked over at her for the first time since the evening had begun. She was thinking again, no doubt of their conversation. What he wouldn't give to peak inside her mind, to see which way her thoughts were turning, what impossible plan she would attempt next. He had been right to blackmail the minister for her services. She was the only one with an unwavering moral compass that would ever defend him, that was even capable of defending him. He had heard of the outcomes of her trials every time a new inmate went into Azkaban, always with the same result. She hadn't lost a case since she first started practicing magical law. He could only hope that this would not be her first.

The door to the kitchen suddenly opened. A woman with fiery red hair, a gorgeous figure, lingerie that would make even the most homosexual of men dance for joy and the biggest breasts that any of them had ever seen walked inside and plopped herself onto a chair. Hermione instantly stood, grabbed an extra plate of food and a cup of tea for her.

"How did it go Lavender?" She asked with a smile as the others, bar Malfoy, gaped. Or in Severus' case, raised his eyebrows.

"I've got the information," she told her tiredly as she began to tuck into her meatloaf, "But bloody hell that man can _go_. I've never seen someone last so long."

"Did you…actually…" Harry was unable to finish his sentence.

"I've had a thing for him for years," Lavender rolled her eyes, "This was just my excuse. Had it been anyone else I would have just gotten the information and run."

"That's my girl," Hermione laughed.

Lavender laughed too and leaned forward so that the sauce on her meatloaf wouldn't drip onto her outfit, for want of a better word. This unfortunately gave Harry a full view of her chest.

"Would you mind putting those away please?" He asked with a wince, "I'm married."

"Shut up Potter," Rabastan said to him, full of amusement, "Just because you're married and those two are gay doesn't necessarily mean that the rest of us can't enjoy the view."

Aria's hand suddenly connected with her father's shoulder.

Lavender blushed in embarrassment while Harry rolled his eyes and Severus glared at the man who had, in his view, just insulted his masculinity.

"Now, now Lestrange," he said, "Just because you're still in the broom cupboard doesn't mean that we all are. I could have sworn I caught you and Black sneaking around together after dark while we were at school-"

Harry was once more on his feet with his wand in Severus's face making Rabastan look very pleased. Hermione rolled her eyes while taking a bite of her own supper.

"Did I miss something?" Lavender asked quietly in between mouthfuls.

"Just Potter making an idiot of himself the first time, but don't worry I'm sure the encore will be just as spectacular," Severus told her, "And I cannot believe I'm about to say this but I agree with him. The cleavage of former students is hardly appealing."

Lavender ended up blushing again as Rabastan took off his coat and passed it to her. When Hermione saw that Harry's wand was still out she finally stood and took it right out of his hand. He gaped at her out of confusion while the rest of the table laughed.

"So much for the famous Boy-Who-Lived-To-Kick-The-Dark-Lord's-Scaly-Behind," Rabastan almost giggled.

"Yes," Severus smirked, "It's as I suspected all along. He peaked at the age of one and can't even keep a hold of his own wand. She's a slip of a woman and she still managed to take it from you?"

"Well," Hermione smiled at all of them, "This slip of a woman wants _all_ your wands."

That shut them up. They all gaped, or stared, or looked as though they were choking on thin air.

"Very funny Hermione," Harry said uneasily.

"I'm not joking," she told him, "I'm going to take all your wands. You'll get them back when you leave the house and return them to me when you come home again. This way I can be assured not only of my own safety and Mr Malfoy's but everyone else's too. It seems that you are all unable to co-operate at this present time and until I see that you are able to sit at the dinner table, like civilised people, and have a conversation without insulting one another this is the way it's going to be."

"What about Aria?" Rabastan asked with slight fear.

"It's ok dad," she smirked, "I'll protect you."

"That's what I was afraid of," he muttered.

"She may keep her wand," Hermione told him, "So long as she uses it wisely."

"What about her education?" He asked her, "I can not teach without examples."

"Rabastan," she smiled, "You're living in the house of the smartest witch of the age, along with The-Boy-Who-Lived, the greatest potions master the world has ever seen and a journalist with more degrees in both muggle and magical education than there are bricks in the Great Wall of China. Aria will be well looked after. So, hand them over."

They all looked at each other, just waiting for someone to go first. None of them were agreeable to this. Hermione stepped forward before Lavender who groaned.

"Lavender?"

"I need my wand for the research," she complained.

"You can go the muggle way for once," Hermione told her firmly as the thin piece of wood was handed over.

"Rabastan?"

"What if we're attacked?" He asked, "What will we do then?"

"Pray that your daughter knows enough magic to save you," she said, "Besides, you saw what happened to the Aurors last night. No one will be able to get through my wards and I have booby traps all over this house just waiting for enemies."

He gave her the foulest glare he could muster before handing over his wand. His daughter looked at Hermione with pride and Hermione winked back at her. She then moved over to the hardest case of all.

"Severus?"

"I need my wand."

"What for?"

"To guard my ward."

"Not in here you don't."

"Are you blind?"

"No, just completely mental. Hand it over."

"Surely your body guards should have wands to protect the ones they are charged with."

"Not when the body guards are bitter enemies and are capable of blowing up my house," she glared, "Hand it over or I will take it from you."

"And just how would you do that?" He asked her softly, a challenge that no one missed.

Hermione gave a smirk and placed one of her hands on the arm of his chair so that she could hold herself up and they were almost nose to nose. It became clear to him in that moment that she meant business when he felt her hand slide up his torso and she was still wearing that ever present smirk. He looked down at her hand in shock and then pushed her away, hearing the fatal _rip_ of his robes. Hermione landed herself gracefully, cross-legged in the next chair over, holding up a long black piece of cloth…and his wand inside it.

"Like that," she smirked at him before getting out of the chair and moving back to her own.

"I can not believe you didn't see that coming," Lucius remarked with amusement.

"Shut up," Severus spat.

"Now that you've all stopped acting like twelve year olds," Hermione said with a smile, "No offense Aria."

"None taken," she smiled back, "They're more like three year olds to me anyway."

Hermione chuckled. She couldn't help but wonder how Rabastan ended up with a girl like her.

"I think we can now get down to business," she said as Rabastan ushered his daughter out of the room to watch television while she ate her dinner, "What do you have for us Lavender?"

"Several things," she said between mouthfuls as she pulled some shrunken envelopes out from beneath her corset and resized them, "I know who Malfoy's staff are for a start."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Well you've got him of course," Lavender said, "He'll be running the show. Then you have his second chair, Marcus Flint."

"He went to an outsider," Rabastan nodded.

"And one of the best law enforcers in the country," Hermione nodded too.

"And a fellow Slytherin," Lavender told them, "It looks like he's keeping it in the family too. He's gone and gotten Pansy Parkinson as his researcher."

Hermione's eyebrows knitted together.

"I wonder why he did that," she muttered, "She isn't involved with the Research Department, she isn't a journalist and I don't even think she picked up a book during school. Hell, she didn't even graduate."

"She has her own unique talents though," Lucius cut in, "She's very adept at deception and concealment and her memory is infallible. It's why Draco was betrothed to her; she would make the perfect housewife. On top of being able to cook and clean-"

"She would be able to hide evidence in the most complex way and be able to remember how to get to it later?" Harry asked.

"Wait," Hermione cut across them, "You said they were betrothed," Lucius nodded, "Then why is there no ring on Malfoy's finger?"

"I assume it just fell apart after I went to prison and the Dark Lord fell," Lucius told her, "Narcissa never told me what became of him and the first time I'd heard of him was when you told me he was at the emergency hearing."

Hermione felt a small pang of guilt over how she had treated the matter last night. A very small, minute, miniscule, microscopic pang. She turned back to Lavender.

"You'll have to check that out at some point," she told her, "There may be something we can use. It obviously went by unheard of."

"As far as I can see, Parkinson isn't anything to worry about," Lavender told them all, "She tried to place a track and broadcast spell on me before I left, disguised as a forty year old woman coming out of the loo. Tried to use a fake doctor's card."

"How'd you know it was fake?" Rabastan asked.

Lavender blushed again but said nothing.

"What else do you have for me?" Hermione asked her, saving her from any potential embarrassment.

"I've got to do some extra digging to figure out who put you all on this case and why, but your secretary caught me just after I left the ministry," she said, handing over the envelopes, "Gave me your mail."

Hermione took the envelopes and proceeded to open them one by one.

_Dear Hermione_

_How are you sweetheart? We keep dropping by your house but you're never home…_

"My parents," she said putting that letter to one side.

"Won't they be in danger too once it gets out that you're on this?" Harry asked her thoughtfully.

Hermione snorted.

"After I got them back from Australia I kept Dumbledore's wards and added a few of my own and they've also got emergency port keys that land right in my living room," she explained, "They'll be fine."

The next letter, to her utter surprise, was a howler.

"How did you get this here without it exploding?" Hermione asked her.

"Old family secret my mum taught me," Lavender explained with a smile, "She had to use it when she was sleeping with the Minister for Magic in her last year of school."

With a sigh, Hermione unlatched the letter. The reaction was immediate.

"_HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER!_

_GET BACK TO THE BURROW THIS INSTANT!"_

It then burst into flames.

"Looks like we know why Ron's been avoiding us," Harry sighed, "He just had to go and tell his mother."

"Don't be like that Harry," she told him, "Molly Weasley is as much our mother as she is his. She'll just be concerned, that's all."

Hermione then turned her attention to her other letters.

_Hermione_

_Thought I would let you know that I'm coming back to England soon. My mother and I are going on vacation together. May I stop by and see you?_

_With love_

_Viktor_

"You're still in contact with him?" Harry asked amusedly.

"He was my childhood sweetheart," she told him, "Leave me alone and remind me to reply to him later."

_Granger_

_Just thought I would give you a warning that I'm going to have the trial date moved forward. I've also enclosed my witness list inside the next envelope that I gave your secretary._

_Have fun defending the murderer_

_D.M_

_P.S Please wear something nice at the next hearing. If I'm going to be in hell for the next few months, I at least want something nice to look at._

Hermione snorted at the last line but said nothing as she went to the next envelope and cast the other one to her pocket.

_PROSECUTION WITNESS LIST FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial and the charge they will be assisting with.)_

_MURDER OF MARCUS MATHEW PAUL:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Barnaby Frost (Attending Auror)_

_Andrea Bell (Attending Healer)_

_MURDER OFBARTHOLEMEW FREDERICK BRINDOM:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Gordon Crosby (Attending Auror)_

_Blake Bell (Attending Healer)_

_**Memories of the witness will also be provided as the chief witness to the crime is now deceased_

_MURDER OF COLIN KALVIN CREEVY: _

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Cho Chang (Witness to the crime)_

_MURDER OF CONSTANCE CORDELIA BLOOMFIELD:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_MURDER OF ERICA DELORES MASON:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Grinbo (Goblin, Manager of Gringotts Bank)_

_Thork (Goblin, Financial Advisor at Gringotts Bank)_

_Dribble (House elf, former Custodian of Gringotts Bank)_

_TORTURE OF AMANDA FREDA PRICE: _

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Alberta Price (Mother of victim)_

_Pomona Sprout (Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, Witness to the crime)_

Hermione stared at the first list before passing it on. She then turned to Malfoy.

"They're calling Amanda Price's torture a murder," she told him, "And they're going to question you for each of murders you've been charged with."

"Six in total," Rabastan said from behind the paper, "We'll have a job trying to disprove this."

"They've only got Malfoy for Constance Bloomfield," Lavender said hopefully.

"It doesn't make it any easier," Hermione told her, "The fact that there are no witnesses _for_ the murder means that there isn't any against."

The letter was passed around the table until it reached Malfoy who stared at the names just as she had.

"There are no dates on these," he told her.

"Malfoy is assuming that we have their files, which we do," she told him, "The dates are in those."

"And where are the files?" He asked.

"Locked in my office upstairs," she told him, "Why?"

He said nothing and passed the list to Severus. Hermione then decided to move onto the next list.

_PROSECUTION WITNESS LIST FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial and the charge they will be assisting with.)_

_THE RAPE OF GEORGINA LINDA EVERSTEIN:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Georgina Everstein (Victim)_

_THE RAPE OF CRYSTAL CONSWELA CLEARWATER:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Crystal Clearwater (Victim)_

_Dribble (House elf, former Custodian of Gringotts Bank)_

_THE RAPE OF MELANIE MIRANDA COOPER:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Melanie Cooper (Victim), assisted by her mother Gwyneth Cooper_

Hermione hated looking at that list. To see such crimes put down on paper was just as bad as hearing about them. Reading about them in a witness list just made more real to her now. She passed the list on with a heavy heart and turned back to Malfoy again.

"Once more, they're going to call you for every charge," she told him quietly, "It seems that these rapes were rather solitary crimes. I think if they had more witnesses they wouldn't be calling you at all. But who knows, maybe your son will pull something out of his arse that makes you look even more guilty."

"What does it mean when it says Melanie Cooper will be assisted by her mother?" Severus asked as the list reached him.

"Not sure," Rabastan told him, "Melanie has been unable to speak since her rape so I suspect there's some form of special communication that she uses."

"We'll have to make sure that there's no way she can lie," Lavender pointed out.

As Hermione looked at the other faces at the table, she knew that they were all holding back the same question. Why would this little girl lie about who raped her? There was no question that she had been raped. There was no way that the photographs or evidence had been sabotaged or faked. The only question that remained securely answered was who did it. Hermione gave another sigh and returned to another, very short list.

_PROSECUTION WITNESS LIST FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial and the charge they will be assisting with.)_

_THE HIPPOGRIFF THEFT OF GURTRUDE FROM HER OWNER JEAN LUC NOIR:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Jean Luc Noir (Victim)_

"The hippogriff theft is the least of my worries," Lucius said allowed for all the others to hear. He instantly passed the letter to Severus when it came his way. Hermione gave him a slight nod and then turned her attention to the last list that Draco had provided her with.

_PROSECUTION WITNESS LIST FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial they will be assisting with.)_

_DEATH EATER CRIMES AND PARTICIPATION IN ACTS OF TERRORISM:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Richard Mulciber (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Gregory Goyle I (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Vincent Crabbe II (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Rodolphus Lestrange (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Arthur Weasley (Former Ministry Employee)_

_Caractacus Burke (Owner of Borgin and Burke's)_

_Alistair Borgin (Owner of Borgin and Burke's)_

_Ludovic Bagman (Former Ministry Employee)_

_Ronald Weasley (Quidditch Player, Witness to the crime)_

Hermione stared at the last name for the longest time, her frustration and anger building by the minute. She crumpled the paper in her closed fist while allowing uneasy breath to escape her. She then passed it to Harry who had the similar reaction of closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"I'm going to kill him," Hermione whispered.

"Hermione that wouldn't be-"

"I don't care what it will be!" She screamed at him as she stood so fast from her seat that it toppled over, "I'm going to kill him!"

She marched out of the room, closely followed by Lucius who instantly knew where she was going and what she was going to do. He reached her just before she got to the fire place and wrapped his arms around her, locking her own arms to her sides before she could grab any floo powder.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

Lucius said nothing as she struggled against him. She tried to stamp on his feet but he kept moving them out of the way, she tried to elbow him but he wouldn't allow her any room to move. She was stuck within his improvised prison with no means of escape. When she finally got tired she stopped struggling and Lucius continued to hold her in place as tears of anger leaked from her eyes.

"You don't know why he is on that list," Malfoy told her quietly as he held her there in front of the roaring fire, "For all you know he could have been forced into this just as much as you were."

"And why," she whispered coldly, "Would I listen to you?"

He didn't fight her when she tried to break free. She stepped away from him and turned to look at him as she slowly moved backwards up the stairs.

"You're the reason he's against me and on that list in the first place," she told him. She then turned her back and walked slowly up the stairs to her bedroom hall


	7. Suspicion

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the next chapter. Do be aware this one is meant to make you ask questions so don't worry if you're a little confused about anything in this one. However if you find that your question is really bugging you, feel free to let me know and I will do my best to answer it without giving the game away!**

**Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Seven: Suspicion

"How long before she comes down for breakfast do you reckon?" Rabastan asked them the next morning as they all sat around the table.

"I'd be surprised if she came down for breakfast at all," Severus muttered, "She's close with Weasley."

"She _was_," Lucius muttered back, "This was the ultimate betrayal."

"Can you really blame him for wanting to put you away?" Lavender spat at him.

"Is that the excuse he's going to use when he faces her?" Severus asked, "If it is you can guarantee that he will lose his head. He will not receive a pardon for this."

"Not unless Draco subpoenaed him," Rabastan pondered allowed, "If he was forced, then Granger can't blame him."

"Knowing Weasley's idiocy it is more than likely that he went directly to Draco and begged to testify," Severus sneered, "Granger will tear him limb from limb and no one will be able to give her reason not to."

They all suddenly turned as the kitchen door opened and a ragged looking Harry entered with the expression of an angry dog. He was just as angry at Ron as Hermione was though he had a much more pleasant way of dealing with it. Even though Hermione had told him not to, he had gone home to his wife the night before without explanation and…well; let's just say that Ginny wasn't at all concerned when he tore her clothes off with his teeth.

"Morning Harry," Lavender said to him. He offered her an early morning grunt as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Hermione come down yet?" He asked them. They each shook their heads, "Merlin help us if he went to Malfoy willingly."

"Do you think he did?" Lavender asked him.

"It's possible," he told her, "I haven't seen him so angry since…since when we were on the run…and he did some really stupid stuff back then. He hasn't changed much."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Severus rolled his eyes.

Harry was about to give an angry retort when the kitchen door opened once more. Hermione walked in swiftly, waved her wand and letting her breakfast make itself while she poured some coffee into a magical flask she held in her hand. She completely ignored the people around her as she scowled down at what she was doing. Harry was smart enough to let her ignore him, knowing that she was a boiling point still. The others though…

"Herm-"

"I'm fine Lavender," she said, tight lipped and restrained.

"Gran-"

"Don't patronise me Lestrange."

"Miss Gran-"

"Shut up Severus, I don't need your attitude now."

"Miss-"

"And you," she suddenly swung around with a vicious look in her eyes as she stared at the last one in the room. Most of the others recoiled but Lucius stared back at her calmly neither frightened nor angered by her response.

"You murderous Death Eater bastard," she whispered, "I blame _you_ for this. So if you wish to keep your balls firmly between your legs then I suggest you only speak when spoken to from now on. I am _this_ close to taking that golden head of yours and turning it into the most disgusting single-celled life form I can think of."

With that, she took her breakfast and her coffee and walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to her office where the rest of them heard an audible _'thump!'_ as the door slammed behind her. They all sat there in shock for a few minutes, each holding their breath as they looked at Malfoy. Not once had they expected her to lose her cool like that, but the real shock was that Malfoy sat there and took it without a word. He didn't even flinch when she had threatened his manhood. He just returned to the slice of toast that he had been nibbling on since he had emerged from his room and didn't say a word. Harry couldn't stand Malfoy but he couldn't sit there and blame him for Ron's idiotic mistake either and he knew that Hermione was too smart for that. He stood from his chair, leaving his half-drunk tea cup behind and walked swiftly up the stairs too.

Rabastan let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Stupid Weasley," he muttered as he walked into the other room to see his daughter.

"Very stupid Weasley," Lavender whispered too as she went through the same door.

"Why didn't you say anything to her?" Severus asked him conversationally, as though they were talking about the weather.

"What would be the point?" Lucius asked him.

"Standing up for yourself should not be counted as one of your sins Lucius," Severus told him.

"Why should I bother when you are doing such a wonderful job for me," he glared, "I realise you still have some Gryffindor tendencies left over from your service to Dumbledore, Severus but I asked you not to defend me at all."

"She will never take you seriously if you aren't willing to fight," Severus told him firmly, "I've had her fight for me before Lucius; I know how she works. She has to _want_ to defend you in order to win. Give her a reason."

"I will when she is willing to listen," Lucius told him sternly, "But only when she is willing. As they say, you can lead a hippogriff to water…"

"If you don't say anything to either of them soon then I will," Severus told him strongly, "You forget that I-"

"I know Severus," Lucius rolled his eyes, "You were just as much of a victim as I was but there is a reason that _I_ am in this position and not you. You were able to use it as a tool for your spying, to save many lives while under Dumbledore's wing. Now it's my turn to do the same. Have patience old friend."

"I have never had patience a day in my life, why would I start now?" Severus asked him. Just when Lucius was about to reply the door flew open again to reveal Harry looking slightly confused and a little bit frightened.

"Ah," he said quietly looking at the other two, "Hermione's gone."

***

The flames receded from her body the moment she appeared inside the largest dining hall anyone had ever seen. She stepped out of the fireplace swiftly and walked over to the door, ignoring the slightly confused looks of the other two occupants of the room who simply stared at her and did not bother to stop her. They more than likely knew what she was there for and she was okay with that.

Having been to this place on more than one occasion, Hermione was able to find her way to her objective easily. She made long, hurried strides up the mountainous staircase and made a left on the third floor of the mansion. She moved swiftly down the long corridor and stopped at the sixth door on the right, making sure to compose herself before she made her way inside after knocking on the door. The occupant of the room looked up at her and then closed his eyes and breathed deeply before greeting her.

"Hello Granger," Draco said, "What can I do for you?"

"A great many things Draco but that's not really a good idea at the moment," she said to him as she sat in the chair that was opposite his desk. He gave a smirk when he realised that she wasn't here with the intention of killing him…yet.

"Why are you here?" He asked her with a small smile as he got up and ventured over to his tea tray. He offered her a mug but she turned it down.

"I'm here for a few things actually," she said as she took out her flask of coffee, "I first want to know when you're planning to move the hearing to."

"I thought two weeks from now," he said, "Considering I have no need for anymore than that and your side is completely hopeless…"

"There's always hope," she told him, "Even for your bastard of a father."

"I knew it wouldn't take him long to piss you off. What's he done?" Draco asked as he sat back down in his seat.

"Besides breathe?" She asked and Draco laughed, "No he hasn't actually done anything and I should probably apologise for going off at him this morning."

"Oh please don't apologise," Draco told her, "The only reason I'm not yelling at him myself is because of a court order."

She gave a tiny tinkle of laughter.

"_He_ hasn't done anything," she continued, "You on the other hand…"

Draco closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You're here about Weasley I take it then," he said and Hermione gave a distinct nod, "I told the bastard you'd be pissed off at him."

"He's willing to risk our friendship to put my client in prison," Hermione told him, "I'm a little more than pissed off. What I don't get is…why now? He watched me defend your mother, he watched me defend Severus…why do this now?"

"You know, Granger," Draco smirked at her, "I once heard someone say that everyone in Hogwarts had a bit of each house in them. I think Weasley's embracing his inner Slytherin."

"Stupid snake," she muttered to herself

"It's Because Lucius is a little close to home for Weasley," Draco told her, "The woman he once loved, his best friend, is defending a man whose home she was tortured in, who was almost killed by the basilisk that he helped set loose. Lucius Malfoy is a rapist and a murderer, who's living in the same house as you are. Are you seriously telling me that you can't understand why he's trying to put him away as soon as possible?"

The way Draco put it did make sense and it made her appreciate Ron's friendship that little bit more so that she only wished to take away his balls and not his life.

"I'm not taking him off the list Granger," Draco told her with conviction, "He's too good a witness."

"I'm not asking you to take him off," she said calmly, "I'm here to ask you why he's on there. Is it because he asked to be?"

Draco looked away from her for a second and then down at his tea cup. He swished its contents slightly before taking a massive scolding gulp of amber liquid.

"He didn't, did he?" She asked him softly, breathing deeply to keep herself calm.

"No," he said, "I went to both him and Arthur and I asked them to testify. It seemed I didn't have to tell them who was on the defence and they just jumped at the chance."

"You didn't bother to ask any of the other Weasleys?" She asked him quizzically.

"I tried to get George but he said he was too busy with the shop and too frightened of you," Draco laughed, "Ginny said she wouldn't want to cross you either and that she wouldn't go against her husband for the world. Since Charlie and Bill are out of the country and pretty much have nothing to do with the Malfoy's there was no point in asking them and Molly would be too emotional on the stand."

"You asked Arthur because of his long time rivalry with Lucius, I get that," she said, "It only makes sense that he would have more dirt on Lucius than I have on Rita Skeeter. But why Ron?"

"He was a witness to many things through out our school years and while you were on the run," Draco told her, "Why _not_ ask him?"

She sighed and nodded, taking a sip out of her flask. It made plenty of sense, not that it didn't put salt in the wound. She had fought by Ron's side all her life, taken curses for him and helped him figure out puzzles that would have killed him had he tried to figure it out on his own. This would be the first time they would have to fight on opposite sides of the line. She could only hope that it would be the last.

"You do realise that you're ripping a family apart," she told him softly.

"I told you before Granger," he said back just as softly, leaning forward and taking her hand in his, "My father is not getting out of prison. I don't care what I have to do; he will go back to Azkaban."

She gave a short nod. She could understand-wait a moment. A thought flitted into her mind that hadn't settled there before. Something he said triggered a question that she hadn't bothered to ask him. Sure, she had asked Lavender to try and figure it out…but why beat around the bush? Why not get the answer straight from the horse's mouth?

"What's the matter?" He asked her as she looked at him with furrowed brows, biting her bottom lip.

"Why are you so intent upon putting him away?" She asked him quietly.

"Haven't I already made that clear?" He asked her, retracting his hand and looking a little bit frightened at where the conversation was going.

"No you haven't actually," she said as she leaned back in her seat and gazed at him intently, "Who put you on this case?"

"McKinnon," he said simply, "Came to me after the Minister got to you. You know his sister was in the Order right? Killed by Death Eaters apparently-"

She watched him as he scratched the back of his neck and then folded his arms…_pretending_ to look confused at her as he leaned back in his chair and she leaned forward.

"That's a lie and you know it," she said sharply, "I know that Pansy caught Lavender on her way to McKinnon's office so you know what I've been looking for…You also know that if McKinnon had hired you he would have straight out told Lavender. Why do you want your father in prison so badly?"

"Because he's evil," he said simply, "Who wouldn't want him in prison?"

She watched again as Malfoy began to play around with a thread in his jumper and avoided her eyes. He sounded convincing and yet the way he was acting…

"There are a lot of people that want him in prison," Hermione stated to him, "But somehow I still think you're lying to me. Who put you on this case?"

"The Minister."

He was becoming angry with her. She saw his breathing become heavier. She saw him begin to shake. Was it anger…or something else?

"Liar," she shot back, deciding to test the waters, "He wants to _win_ the case so why would he put you on the prosecution against me and risk immediate mistrial? Why do you want your father in prison?"

This was it. He was going to blow his stack soon.

"Because he doesn't deserve a normal life!" Malfoy yelled at her, tipping his chair over as he stood fast from his seat.

"Who put you on this case?" She yelled at him.

"No one!" He screamed, "I bribed McKinnon to let me take it!"

Jackpot. There was the reason that she hadn't been able to find out motive. The fact that McKinnon had accepted a bribe put him in danger of losing his job which was why he had been careful not to let that slip to Lavender. But something was definitely wrong. There was no way that this was the first time Malfoy had bribed his bosses before. He had told her exclusively how he had given their former head of department six million galleons to keep him off of all Death Eater trials. She had also heard of how Draco had paid off some of the Wizenagmot to take a vacation when he was defending a little girl accused of murdering her mother. And she was damn sure that he had slipped some money to a few informants when they had worked on cases together and had never told her. So why did he all of a sudden look so frightened? He suddenly seemed to realise what he had done and began to panic. He walked around to her side of the desk and pinned her to the chair, gripping the tops of her arms painfully, bruising her flesh within seconds of contact.

"You can't use that against me," he said desperately, as though it was a life and death matter, "You can't Granger, you hear me?! If anyone finds out-"

"Malfoy you're hurting me!" She yelled at him as he shook her.

"You have to promise me Granger! You can't tell _anyone_ at all! I can't be thrown off this case!" He continued to yell at her. His eyes were wide with fear, something she hadn't seen in him since his sixth year when he was forced to try and kill Dumbledore. Something had him frightened out of his mind. She placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Okay Malfoy," she said quietly, trying to calm him down, "I promise I won't use it against you. I promise, okay? Just, let me go now."

His breathing slowed as he looked at her a little less frightened. She moved her hands to his and stared him directly in the eye. He was shaking, so frightened that someone would find out that he had put himself on this case and wasn't appointed to it like any other law enforcer. This wasn't a first. Sure it was grounds to be thrown off the case itself and be suspended for a month or so but why was that so important? She managed to unhinge his hands from her arms and she placed them at his sides. Something wasn't right. Well, this entire situation was just as dodgy as Albus Dumbledore wearing the colour black but the point was still valid. One Malfoy dropping hints and being an obedient lap dog…and another completely frightened out of his mind at the thought of being thrown out of the ministry for a month for something he had definitely done before and was always unaffected by. Something definitely smelt fishy.

***

"Turn to page three hundred and ninety four."

Aria did so without question, simply just happy to be doing something that day instead of shooting flies off of the ceiling. Severus went to stand behind her as she found the simple calming draught at the bottom of the book.

"What is the purpose of the unicorn hair in this potion?" Severus asked her.

She looked down at the text book for a moment and after discovering that it didn't tell her she looked over to her father for help. He gave a shrug and just continued to watch Lucius with a suspicious eye as he stood at the door, leaning himself against the frame as he observed the makeshift lesson. Severus rolled his eyes.

"I suppose this isn't your fault," he told her, "Your father was always useless at potions. We can only hope that you don't carry the same deformity."

Rabastan scowled at him but said nothing as Aria laughed at Snape.

"You're very funny you know that?" She smiled.

Rabastan stared at his daughter with wide eyes and Lucius smirked as the corners of Severus's mouth twitched upwards.

"How can you think _he's_ funny?" Rabastan asked her incredulously.

"You don't find him frightening?" Lucius asked her. Rabastan sent him a look that clearly told him to keep away from his daughter.

"No," Aria shook her head, "Professor Snape is cool."

"You're so much like your mother you know that?" Rabastan told her with a roll of his eyes.

"Considering your ability when it comes to potions I would say that's a good thing," he told him as Aria laughed again. He then turned back into serious teaching mode, "The way you find out an ingredient's purpose is in its positioning. If the ingredient is added first or fifth in the potion it is a stabilizer. If it is added ninth, twenty third or twelfth it is a conditioner. If it is added at any other time it is simply there for its own magical properties."

"So…" Aria looked down at the text book again and her face lit up, "It's a stabilizer then? It's added fifth to the potion after the salamander skin."

Severus looked down at her for a moment and then up at Lucius.

"Not a total loss then," he muttered. Both the blond and the little girl smirked at him. Rabastan rolled his eyes once more. At that moment, the door to the kitchen slammed open to reveal a very shaken yet defiant Hermione. She pushed Lucius out of her way as she marched forward and went straight to her potions cabinet by the sink. She opened it with unnecessary force, making the hinges squeak in protest, and grabbed the first bottle she saw. She then marched straight out of the room without a word to any of them, once more pushing Lucius out of her way. The three men all looked at her retreating back before staring at each other. Harry and Lavender then came in.

"What did you do?" Harry instantly accused Lucius.

"He didn't do anything," Rabastan said unexpectedly, "She just marched in and marched out again. Do you know where she went?"

"No," Lavender shook her head, "The fireplace has been somehow blocked by a hex or spell that I can't break through. It only allows certain people the owner wishes to see."

Lucius' eyes met Severus's and they gave a slight nod. There was only one fireplace they knew of that could do that ever since the war ended. The enchantment had been cast by the Dark Lord himself. What was even more disturbing was the fact that Draco _wanted_ to see Granger. Then again, he had to due to the fact that they would be sharing mutual information. Lucius gave Severus another look. Severus so badly wished to ignore it and go to investigate for himself. But how could he possibly do so when he was directly in front of the four other occupants of the room? Lucius was closest to the door. He would be easier to slip past them seeing as they were all pretending that he didn't exist. He gave another subtle nod to his friend and Lucius slipped away with another smirk.

He moved quickly and quietly out of the kitchen and into the backyard where Hermione had gone. He found her sitting beneath a large willow tree, her back turned to him as she had taken the sleeves of her dress down to apply a salve to some wounds on her arms. It exposed her back to him, leaving him with a wonderful view of her creamy flesh. He thought that it was only fair that he make his presence known when she was in such a vulnerable position and so he purposefully stepped onto a twig as he approached. She froze, her hands still on her shoulders as she continued to keep her back to him.

"It works better if someone else applies the salve," he told her, "It relies upon the magic of the one applying it in order to heal. Yours is clearly shaken."

"I'll manage," she said to him coldly before she appeared to mentally slap herself, something he definitely didn't miss. She continued to apply the salve as he came even closer. His eyes narrowed at the sight of black and blue blotches in the form of finger marks on her arms.

"What did you say to my son to make him give you those?" He asked her quietly, frowning as he knelt beside her, carefully averting his eyes from her person.

"What makes you think that he did this?" She asked him.

"The general public doesn't know who's taken my case just yet," he told her, "Which leaves only a few people who would wish to cause you harm. Only one of them has a Filtering Spell on his fireplace that could not be removed once the caster died."

Hermione gave a sigh and pulled her sleeves up once more.

"I suppose I should be thankful that Draco was able to change the properties of the spell so that he could omit mudbloods to his home," she muttered.

"So what made him do it?" Lucius asked again as he fingered the sleeve of her dress. She looked down at his fingers apprehensively for a few moments until he removed them.

"I don't believe that's any of your business," she said quietly as she took out her wand and began to clean herself up.

"He's my son," he told her, "If he's done some wrong I would like to hear about it."

"That doesn't necessarily mean that you should," she said as she stood from the tree and groaned when he did too, "Do you mind? I would like some time to myself."

"You are responsible for my current wellbeing and my future freedom," he told her, "You no longer get time to yourself."

"Is that so?" She asked as she began to walk away.

"Yes it is," he responded as he began to follow her, "If I am to trust you to defend me properly I need to know you."

She swung around to face him with a murderous glint in her eyes.

"You have my name, my date of birth and what I'm capable of doing to you if you continue to piss me off. You don't need anything else."

"And just what have I done this time besides inadvertently turning your leech against you?" He asked her. Her eyes widened in anger.

"Leech?" She asked in an angry whisper.

"He attached himself to you from the age of eleven and has been sucking you dry ever since," Lucius told her calmly, "Forgive me for unintentionally freeing you of the spineless idiot who was making your life a misery before he flew off to let others play with his broomstick."

She couldn't stop herself from hitting him even if she wanted to. Her palm connected with his cheek in the loudest and hardest slap she had ever given another human being besides his son. She stared up at him angrily and he stared down at her calmly. Why the hell wasn't he trying to kill her? Why wasn't he even remotely angry? Why wasn't he even trying to defend himself anymore? He simply stared down at her, his hand twitching, itching to touch the red mark that was beginning to form on his alabaster skin.

"He is my best friend," she whispered to him fiercely, "He has stood by Harry and I ever since we first faced _your lord_. He is ten times the man you will ever be and you are not worthy of the ground he walks on."

"You say he is ten times the man I will ever be?" He whispered to her, "Yet he threw a tantrum in your fourth year when Potter was entered into the Triwizard Tournament instead of himself. He even threw a hissy fit when he attended the Yule Ball and discovered that you had found a wizard that was worth far more of your time than he was."

"While you were off running scared from your master for an entire year like the rest of your Death Eater friends," she said without skipping a beat, "Then of course you ran back to him like a love sick puppy."

"In your sixth year he acted like an arrogant twit with Miss Brown for half the semester," Lucius continued, "Constantly either forgetting who was right in front of him or was too frightened to acknowledge it."

"While you were rotting away in prison for trying to kill us all in fifth," she responded venomously.

"He ran out on you while you were running from the Dark Lord," Lucius said to her quietly, "He left you to face your monstrous quest on your own with a moody Potter who thought he was always right and constantly led you into danger at every turn."

"Because Voldemort was messing with his head via a horcrux we found," she sneered at him, "It was making him think things that weren't real, making him feel things that coming from him. You on the other hand-"

"Why was it you broke up with him Miss Granger?" He asked her, "What was it like while you were together?"

"He made a mistake which I forgave him for," she spat at him.

"A mistake?" He asked, "A year long affair is hardly a mistake. Especially when it is with a woman he has known for half of his life."

"He has not known Cho Chang for half of his life," she said indignantly.

"You still haven't answered my other question."

"Because your question doesn't deserve an answer."

"All questions deserve answers."

"How do you even know all this?" She spat at him, "Have you had your Death Eater friends spy on me? Or has Severus just got a big mouth?"

"Pick one," he said simply, "Either way, you aren't going to answer me and you're going to leave frustrated and still unwilling to listen."

"Listen to what?!" She screamed at him, "There's nothing to listen to! You're guilty and there's _nothing_ that will change that!"

He smirked down at her. It was that signature Malfoy smirk that she had become so accustomed to in her years of education with Draco. It could only mean either one of two things. Either he was about to pull out his wand and make her teeth grow to gigantic proportions…or he knew something she didn't. Seeing as he didn't have his wand…

"You may wish to revaluate that statement Miss Granger," He said to her before turning his back and striding away. Hermione had never felt more confused in her life.


	8. Because I amI am not

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**_ADVANCED WARNING!_ This bit is extremely weird and I would like you too keep in mind that Hermione has no idea what she's doing here so it's ok if you have no idea either. Just to make sure you guys don't desert me I would like to give you a massive clue so that you don't feel too lost._ BELLATRIX LESTRANGE IS MENTAL, ALWAYS HAS BEEN MENTAL AND ALWAYS WILL BE MENTAL!_ If you just keep that in mind you should be fine through out this chapter.**

**Cheers guys. As always if you have any questions, let me know in a review and I will get back to you.**

**~VTM**

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Chapter Eight: Because I am…I am not

"You have got to stop doing this Lucius," Severus told him as they sat in the blonde's room drinking tea at the small coffee table by the window. Night had blanketed the lawn his window faced with tiny crystalline droplets of moisture, making it glisten under the pale glowing face of the moon. It always captivated him as he looked at it. It reminded him of his freedom, of what he had lost.

"Stop doing what?" He asked his companion.

"Teasing her with information," Severus elaborated, "The sooner she knows everything, the more time she has to get used to the idea that-"

"She's starting to ask questions," he told him as he turned away from his window and looked at Severus, "She angered my son in some way that made him hurt her. She's starting to think that something isn't right. You said it yourself all those years ago that whoever took this case would have to figure it out for themselves in order to believe it. Once she has the answers she will come to me for clarity."

"You expect too much of her," Severus shook his head, "She may be bright but her moral compass is fully centred. You were wrong to choose someone who was hurt-"

"Name one person, who wasn't hurt," Lucius dared him, "I couldn't go to my own son because he was hurt too viciously by the war and its instigator."

"She has been hurt differently than what Draco was," Severus told him, "If you had informed Draco from the beginning what had been going on, if you had let him see what was happening under his very nose then he would have understood. Granger has been fighting Death Eaters all her life; it is hard wired into that over-sized brain of hers to hate and fear people like us. It was a fluke that she managed to look past my dark mark and see that what I was doing was for the greater good. It will be an absolute miracle if she manages to see what your mark did to you and plenty of others."

"Then we need to have faith that her logic will overpower her hate," Lucius responded. Severus sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"You're running out of time Lucius," he told him, "It's been two days since she took your case and you heard from her yourself the first night that Draco would more than likely have the trial moved forward. You need to tell her now!"

"And she still won't believe me," he shot back, "She needs to be willing to listen or all she's going to do is try to reduce my sentence."

"And that's a start!" Severus said to him, becoming supremely frustrated, "If she manages to help you in anyway the wizarding world would see you in a different light! As much as we need her to listen we need the rest of the world to listen as well!"

"And we need to start with one!" Lucius told him, raising his voice for the first time since he had arrived at this place, "We can not convince the rest of the world that we are entirely innocent if we can not convince an over achieving brain-box who can't see what's right in front of her! She is just as ignorant as the rest of the world and just as arrogant about it and the only way that that is going to change is if she discovers it for herself!"

Severus stood from his seat, a frustrated and defeated look in his eye as he gazed at his friend. Lucius breathed heavily and sighed, trying to calm himself down. All his frustrations with the situation he had been put in were starting to find their way out into the open. He desperately needed to find a way to control himself so that he could see this through. Too much rested upon his emotional state.

"For all our sakes my friend," Severus told him as he left the room, "I hope you're right."

***

Hermione once more awoke to the smell of fresh coffee and the feel of satin sheets against her skin. She looked down at herself, having remembered falling asleep in her clothes, and recognised that she was once more in her underwear. She really would have to start thanking Harry for this. She knew that there would be many more days from now on that she would end up too tired to undress herself. It was the emotional stress that Malfoy brought her that kept her so drained. He was beginning to confuse the living daylights out of her and it was not a pleasant feeling. She was used to being the top of her class, able to figure out any problem, puzzle or parody that came her way and yet now she was faced with a maze of accusations, lies and assumptions that just didn't make sense to her tired and tattered mind. Certain pieces of the puzzle didn't fit where as other pieces were from a different puzzle entirely and yet there was this strange nagging in the back of her mind that all was connect through a thick and impossible web that a spider had decided to weave. And yet while there were so many caught within the wires, there were very few that would be willing to speak up about it, very few who would have the courage to tell the truth. Out of nowhere a list began to form within her minds eye.

One lived in France, her nose in the air, probably completely ignorant of the problem entirely.

Another was on the run, fighting for his freedom that he didn't deserve.

Three more were locked in prison. One completely insane, her husband close behind her and the other unwilling to lift a finger to help those who had imprisoned him.

And then there was the last whom she had recently pissed off quite badly.

Of course, she could subpoena them and make them take the stand but that wasn't exactly a good idea when she had no idea what kind of information they had to offer. Hell, she didn't even know what kind of information she was looking for.

She stretched out in her queen sized bed and gazed up at the ceiling. Light was shining out from a tiny crack in her curtains; just enough to tell her it was past ten in the morning. Well, if she was going to find anything at all, she couldn't do it stuck in bed all day. She lifted her head from her pillow and dressed in a high-waisted skirt with a black dress shirt and high heels, her hair kept back by her favourite head band and clasp and a black outer robe that she only wore on business occasions. She walked down to breakfast with her head held, not bothering to acknowledge the fearful glances she was receiving from most of the occupants of the house.

She turned to face them all once she had poured herself a cup of coffee, noticing that Severus was strangely absent from the table.

"Where's Severus?" She asked them.

"Teaching Aria," Rabastan told her.

"Willingly?" She asked him incredulously and he nodded, "I thought I'd have to bribe him to do that."

"Apparently not," Lavender smirked at her, "Aria's seemed to take a liking to him."

Hermione just about spat her coffee all over Harry who had just come in to give her a hug.

"How's he taking it?" She asked, slightly frightened of the answer.

"He seems to be enjoying it," Harry told her, instantly picking up on the conversation, "Or as much as Snape could ever enjoy anything anyway. Hermione, I'm sorry but I have to go into work today. They've got a major dilemma apparently."

"That's alright," she told him, "Where I'm going you can't follow without cursing someone. Oh and while you're there, could you get me Blaise Zabini's address?"

They all looked at her in question. The corners of Lucius' mouth twitched upwards slightly. She was finally heading in the right direction.

"Can I ask why?" Harry asked her.

"I'll let you know why I need it when I know myself," she said cryptically. He gave her an odd look but also offered a nod as he exited the room. Once he was safely out of earshot Hermione took a seat next to Lavender.

"I need you to find someone for me too," she told her, "And you can't tell anyone who, or where she is. This woman likes her privacy. Do you understand?"

Lavender gave a cough and a nod in Lucius' direction and Hermione waved her off.

"If he would tell me what I need to know then I wouldn't be going to her so if he's smart he'll keep his mouth shut," she told her.

Lavender then did the same thing in Rabastan's direction and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"He's my second chair," she said, "He's just going to have to live with it."

Rabastan gave a roll of his eyes too.

"Lavender," she said, "I need you to find Narcissa Black."

Lucius promptly choked on his tea and Rabastan spat his coffee out across the table, muttering an apology as he cleaned himself up.

"Why her?" Lavender asked, "She's been out of the country for years."

"She may have something useful for me," Hermione told her, "I can't afford to rule anyone out as a possibility at the moment. Do you think you could find her?"

"I can try," she said with a sigh.

"The sooner the better," Hermione told her, patting her hand as she stood from the table once more, putting her remaining sips of coffee inside her flask.

"Where are you going?" Rabastan asked her.

"First I'm going to go and visit an old friend," she told him, "Then I'm going to go and _find_ an old friend. Then I'm going to go back to the first old friend and question their old friends."

"You aren't going to tell me are you?" He asked her.

"At the moment it's better if you know as little as possible," she told him, "I don't know what I'm going to have to do to get the information I need."

"How long will you be gone?" Lavender asked her.

"I'm not sure," she told her, "Possibly a week, maybe more."

"How will I get the address to you?"

"Harry has my cell number."

"What do you want me to do?" Rabastan asked her

"Go and talk to Malfoy's witnesses," she told him, "See if there are any holes in his case…Then talk to _him_," she indicated Malfoy, "See if you can get anything out of him."

Lucius gave her a smirk which she scowled at before walking out the door and apparating away. At that moment, Aria and Severus entered the room. When Severus saw that the room was severely diminished from what it was he raised a questioning brow to Lucius.

"Did Granger come in here and murder half her team and by some miracle leave you intact?" He asked him, "Or has she finally managed to control herself?"

Lucius stood from his seat, emptying his tea into the sink and then walking over to Severus with a smirk on his smug features.

"You remember our conversation last night?" He asked him and Severus nodded, "I believe the expression I'm looking for is…I told you so."

Severus's eyes widened and he looked over at Rabastan who was in the middle of giving his daughter a hug.

"Don't look at me," he said, "I know about as much as you do."

"Considering the positions we're all in," Severus remarked, "I would say you know considerably less. Aria your break is over. It is time to resume the lesson."

Rabastan stared at Severus confusedly again when he addressed his daughter by first name.

***

Hermione landed outside Azkaban prison in yet another gale. She quickly applied a few impertable charms so that she would be able to see but once more found that it didn't work as well as it should. She moved forward quickly, finding it very hard to stay on the platform in the shoes that she had chosen to wear. It wasn't long before a tall grey haired figure came to greet her.

"Miss Granger!" He said delightedly, "I wasn't expecting you."

"Sorry Smithy," she yelled back, "I didn't make an appointment."

"What can I do for you?" He yelled back at her.

"I need to speak to a prisoner of yours!" She screamed, when Smithy held his hand to his ear she rolled her eyes and started to guide him back towards the prison. The huge stone doors opened to admit them and Smithy gave a giant wave to someone at the top tower. A plump woman with flecks of grey through her black hair smiled. Hermione assumed that this was the ever present Martha.

"Now what can I do for you Miss Granger?" Smithy turned to her with a bright smile.

"I would have made an appointment Smithy," she said, "But this was a very spur of the moment thing. You know I'm still defending Lucius Malfoy-"

"Ah yes," he said with a nod, taking her arm as one of the dementors floated past and seemed to hover over her before Smithy attached himself to her, "We expected that something like this would come up sooner or later. Who do you need?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange."

Smithy stopped walking for a few moments and looked at her, his smile suddenly dimmed. She looked at him quizzically for a moment until he sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said to her in the first solemn tone that she had ever heard from him, "But Mrs Lestrange passed away just yesterday."

Hermione stared at him with widened eyes.

"How?" She asked incredulously.

"We're not sure," he told her regretfully, "We went to try and get her up for breakfast this morning and she was already gone. We think the dementors finally got to her and she just couldn't take all the despair."

Hermione thought for a moment before turning back to him once more. Bellatrix Lestrange, dead and gone. It was something she had wanted to see for a long time and yet now that it was here…Something just didn't feel right. That woman had survived so many years in Azkaban, why would a few more finally get to her? Regardless, Hermione had to figure it out. Perhaps she would be able to get the information elsewhere.

"Do you still have the body?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, suddenly cheerful again, "In the autopsy room, waiting for Craig to find out what happened."

"And her prison records, you still have those?" She asked.

Smithy nodded excitedly.

"If you could please show me to the autopsy room," she said, "And then bring me every record you have. Audio, visual, written, magical, what ever you have, bring it to me."

Smithy grabbed her arm again and started leading her hurriedly down the long winding corridors of Azkaban. After what seemed to be half a mile's run he deposited her in a room that was quite different from the rest of the prison. It was lined with silver metal on every surface, clean enough to show a clear reflection. There were body drawers to her left and an operating room to her right full of utensils and tools that a surgeon would normally use to save a life. The room had a green light to it, almost like the Slytherin common room back at Hogwarts, only this light was sickly in pallor. She walked forward into the room and was about to touch a scalpel when she heard a cough from behind her.

"Can I help you?"

She turned around to see a tall man of thirty five staring at her with a confused look. His American accent coated his voice with a southern charm that was accentuated by the slight stubble on his chin. His hair was a sandy brown and his eyes were an icy blue that she had never seen before. It was almost nauseating how his surgical scrubs matched the room colour though.

"Yes," she said as she stepped forward to greet him, "My name is-"

"I know who you are," he said, "What I want to know is what you're doing in my theatre Miss Granger."

"Smithy sent me here to look at the body of Bellatrix Lestrange," she said stiffly, knowing that she would not be given any sympathy here, "I trust you also know whose case I've taken."

He gave her a nod before moving over to one of the body drawers. He slid it open with ease and she almost gasped when she saw the body. Bellatrix had been nothing of her former glory in death. She was but skin and bones with blood shot eyes and a horrified expression on her face. Although she looked meek and scared, she was more terrifying than ever. Anything that could scare this woman to death could scare anyone half way to hell.

"Have you found the cause of death yet Mr…?"

"Armstrong," he said, "Craig Armstrong. And no. What ever got her got her pretty good and pretty sneaky too. She has some lacerations on her back," he turned the woman over to reveal several long deep gashes on her back, "That look like they were made from claws and yet there aren't any animals here but the dementors and…well they have other means of killing."

"Don't I know it," she muttered to herself. Craig moved the body over to the examination table. Bellatrix still had her eyes open and appeared to be staring at Hermione as she stared back timidly.

"Could you possibly close her eyes?" Hermione asked him.

He shook his head.

"Sorry," he said, "It's an affect of the dementors. Rigor mortis sets in permanently, almost turning the body into a Popsicle. I couldn't shut those eyes even if I wanted to."

"You _don't_ want to?"

"Why bother?" He asked, "She's dead anyway."

"What is it you actually do here Mr Armstrong?" She asked him as she looked over Bellatrix once more.

"I'm the healer and medical examiner," he told her, "I've been here the last fourteen years."

"Why stay so long when you're more than capable of transferring somewhere like St Mungo's?" She asked.

"Because someone's gotta do it," he told her simply, "Now if you're done questioning me, can we get back to the body?"

"Certainly," she said to him in a falsely sweet tone.

They spent at least an hour going over the autopsy report and medical notes that Craig had with him at the time. The entire time she scanned every file and every note, every single scrap of parchment for some tiny detail that was missed, some insignificant speck of information that others had thought weren't worth looking at. She saw nothing but letters and numbers and symbols that were just as meaningless as her visit to the prison that day. She mentally slapped herself as Craig passed over another piece of parchment to her. All Malfoy had done was drop hints that something wasn't right, inadvertently telling her that she had it all wrong, that he was innocent in some inconceivable way. He hadn't given her any clues or hints or anything to suggest that she was heading in the right direction. For all she knew she was going off on some other path that had nothing to do with Malfoy what so ever!

"…Then she ended up collapsing in the middle of the exercise yard because of the sunlight," he continued after a while, "Too much exposure to sunlight after a week's worth of cold and bad memories can really fry your brain. After that, we just kept her inside."

"What was she like as a prisoner?" Hermione asked him as she looked over the body once more, stopping over her arms once or twice.

"She was more resistant than the others," he told her, "Lasted a long time before she ended up caving like the rest of them…three years into her first sentence I think. Then again, I think that had something to do with the fact that You-Know-Who was still alive. It gave her something to hope for."

Sounded logical.

"And the second?"

He gave a shudder.

"She was…changed," he told her, "She screamed and cried all the time and her magic would just explode out of nowhere. When she first came in she wouldn't think twice about taking a swipe at you but when they brought her back she was frightened of everything around her."

Hermione gave a sigh and furrowed her brow. She supposed that the Dark Lord's demise would do that to his most faithful follower. She could only imagine what kind of pain Bellatrix went through the night he fell. She looked down at the woman's body again. Such horror filled her eyes, such unimaginable-wait, what was that? Hermione lifted the left sleeve of Bellatrix's robes and almost gasped at what she saw. It was her mark, glistening in the light…green in colour. She looked around the room. Everything was green though. But not that green.

"Has her mark always been that colour?" She asked him.

Craig came over to look at what she saw and shrugged it off.

"It's just a trick of the lighting in here," he told her, "Nothing unusual."

She didn't believe it for a second. She pulled out her wand and cast an instant lumos spell that showed her everything. It was still green, even in white light. She called him back over once more and Craig stared at it just as strangely as she did. This was completely unheard of.

"How many other Death Eaters in captivity have died in here since the war ended?" She asked him.

"About six," he said, "Why?"

"Have all their marks turned green?"

"I think I would have noticed if that had…" he trailed off at the look on her face, sighed and then walked into his office to retrieve some more notes and photographs. He came back with a confused look on his face.

"Only one has the same tinge that hers does," he said, "Elmira Zabini. I can't believe I missed that."

Hermione turned to him in shock.

"Elmira was never convicted," she told him.

"There was a trial that no one paid attention to," he told her, "They found a mark on her arm the day her home got raided three years ago. They would have taken her son too but they didn't have anything on him and his memories were clear so they let him go. The only reason they never publicised it was because Lucius Malfoy was convicted at the same time and they wanted to make an example of him."

It now seemed that her visit to Blaise was more important than ever and there was now at least one question that she had to ask both Malfoys. At that moment, Smithy entered with Bellatrix's records in hand and a delighted smile at the sight of the two of them. It was a little disconcerting that he at least four files full of arrest warrants and doctor's notations as well as three vials full of memories.

"Here we are Miss Granger," he smiled, handing everything over to her, "All the records we have on her. You'd probably find more at the Department of Wizarding Populous Control. They would have her schooling and life records."

"I don't really need her life records," Hermione told him, "What I'm interested in came much later after school. These are her arrest records I take it?" Smithy nodded, "Good. Do you have a pensieve where I can view these?"

He shook his head.

"Pensieves drive the dementors mad," he told her.

"Very well," she said, "I will find another place to view these. Good day to you gentlemen."

***

She immediately apparated to the Ministry and used the nearest fireplace to get inside her office where her own personal pensieve was held. She had found it too risky to have her pensieve inside her home, what with a Death Eater, a nosy reporter, a curious twelve year old girl, a friend who would do anything to get inside her head and a potion's master who would stick his over-sized nose anywhere it didn't belong. It just seemed logical to keep her private memories and thoughts elsewhere. She locked her door as thoroughly as possible, informing her assistant that no one was to enter the room, not even Harry. She then made her way to her desk and set the three vials before her as well as the files that Smithy had given her. She sat before the information at her desk, staring at it almost with concern. Did she really want to do this? Delve into the mind of a woman so off her nut? No, but that didn't change the fact that she had no choice. That nagging feeling that everything was connected had begun to creep back into her thoughts as she gazed down at the memories and the paper work. Malfoy was dropping hints for a reason. He seemed almost gleeful when she had mentioned seeing old friends and there was no way that Bellatrix's mark wasn't connected to all this. It was just too strange. Regardless of what she _wanted_ to do, she had to do what was best for her client. With a sigh, she went and opened the first folder. As she opened it she realised that it was a few notes about Bellatrix's second arrest and possible treatment at St Mungo's…

_St Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries_

_OFFICIAL PATIENT INFORMATION FILE_

_Patient number 665_

_June 31st 1998_

"The day after her arrest," she muttered to herself.

_Subject: Bellatrix Lestrange_

_Reason for Admition: Severe psychological dysfunction. _

_Symptoms: Severe aggression towards anyone who approaches. Constant crying and wailing in anger. Cringes in fear every time the Dark Lord is mentioned. Magic severely out of patient's control with rubbish bins lighting on fire and glass shattering the moment it enters the room._

_Diagnosis: Patient has been severely psychologically damaged by her time with the Dark Lord. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the primary cause of her symptoms and some over exposure to certain dark curses and potions would have been a large contribution to her current state._

_Treatment: Constant sedation temporarily until the cause of symptoms neutralised or alternate diagnosis is found. Will be taken to Azkaban once analysis is complete therefore no longer St Mungo's jurisdiction._

Some of this didn't sound at all right. Cringe in fear every time the Dark Lord was mentioned? She worshiped the ground he walked on! What the hell could she possibly have to fear? She looked down at one of the vials that were next to the report. It had the same label as the medical report she had just read. Perhaps now would be a good time to take a look?

She moved behind her desk swiftly and grabbed her old penseive. She set it up on top of her desk and emptied the silvery substance into the basin. With a slight breath of hesitation she plunged herself inside. The familiar falling sensation lasted a while until she landed…hard. She knew more than anything that her head was really going to hurt when she got out of this. She took a moment to adjust to the light of the room that she was in. It was all white with a slight glow to the walls. There was a small whitely clad bed and a small table with a white table cloth on it, both glowing the same as the walls, as though she was inside a picture and everything was out of focus. There didn't appear to be anything of use there. Perhaps the memory lay outside the room? Hermione attempted to move through the door but found it to be a solid surface, just like in the real world. She looked at it with furrowed brows for a moment.

"Odd," she muttered.

She suddenly heard a small whimper from the corner. She turned her head swiftly and gasped at what she saw. Bellatrix was just as wide eyed as she had been in the morgue, though her face was animated with fear now. She was just as gaunt and hollow as Hermione remembered but her edge of insanity seemed to have intensified somewhat. She twitched all parts of her body at odd angles as she cowered in the corner, clad in her white bed gown that she had more than likely been forced into. With a jolt, Hermione realised that she was mumbling too. She moved closer.

"N-no," she whispered, "C-can't…No."

So this was her memory then. Hermione distantly wondered how the healers had collected it.

"I-I…They won't let me," she muttered, "No…not true."

"It is Bella."

Hermione jumped and drew her wand when she heard it, momentarily forgetting that she was inside a memory and didn't have a wand anyway. She had hoped that she would never hear that voice again, that silky, high pitched drawl. She looked all around the room until finally she saw him, sitting right in front of Bellatrix on one of the white chairs. But it was impossible! This was a memory! And Harry had already killed Voldemort by this point! How could he possibly be in the room with Bellatrix?! And if he was, why wasn't he breaking her out?!

Bella gave a few more twitches before she lifted her head to face him, tears streaming down her face.

"Potter…lies!" She screamed, "You-you can't be!"

"I am," he said quietly.

"B-But," she sobbed, "You're here! How can you be dead if you're here?!"

Something Hermione would like to know too if it wasn't too much trouble.

"It's because I'm dead that I'm here Bella," he said to her, "It is because I am gone that I can be here with you now."

Apparently Dumbledore wasn't the only one who spoke in riddles…no pun intended. It still didn't explain anything at all! Voldemort had just admitted that he was dead and yet he was…there. Hermione looked at Voldemort for a few moments and then looked back at Bella. It just didn't make sense. Then again, what part of this case _did_ make sense? Voldemort was dead. She had seen the body herself, felt his cold flesh beneath her very fingers as she checked for a pulse while no one was looking. She just had to be sure after all. She had checked herself and yet he was there.

"I don't understand," Bellatrix sobbed and cried, "Why?! Why?!"

"Stop it Bella!" He ordered her swiftly, "Control yourself!"

Hermione almost jumped at the authority and power in his voice. His most faithful servant abruptly stopped sobbing and looked at him with awe as she always had. With such a strong commanding tone, it was no wonder that he had gathered so many like-minded people to his cause. Orders seemed effortless to him, like requests that you wanted to allow and yet you knew you had no choice anyway.

"Yes Master," she whispered as she gazed at him.

"Good girl," he whispered back as he got up from his chair and glided over to her. He appeared to pick her up from the floor and stand her before him, his hands rubbing her shoulders as he stared down at her with an expressionless mask.

"Do you remember how you came into my service?" He asked her, "How I had found you?"

"Yes Master," she whispered as she looked up at him in wonder.

"Tell me," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, "Tell me the story."

"I-I," she stuttered in his arms, "I was at home. M-my f-father was…was."

"Yes he was," he allowed her the escape.

"It hurt so much," she said, fresh tears spilling over her eyes, "Ro-Rodolphus never understood."

"Why did he do it?" Voldemort asked her.

"The voices," she whispered, "The voices wouldn't let me run. Cissy and Meda, they could fight. B-but I…"

Hermione felt pain clench her insides. She didn't have to be a psychiatrist to figure out what Bellatrix was talking about. How this had never ended up in court was completely beyond her. It didn't make her feel any sympathy towards the woman; after all, she had murdered and tortured hundreds of people. But it was good to have insight.

"What happened next?" He asked her.

"You came," she said with a sigh of relief, burying her head in his robes, the twitching starting to fade, "You came."

"And what did I do?" He asked her.

"You took him away," she said, "You promised you wouldn't let him hurt me. And you didn't."

Bella suddenly stepped back from him and rolled up her left sleeve. The mark sat there on her arm, gleaming in all its glory. With a shock, Hermione realised that it was already green.

"And you took the voices away," she said, "You made them disappear and never come back. A-and I could talk again. A-and I could do magic again."

"And you served me well with your magic," he said, fondly stroking her cheek, "Do you remember what I told you when I gave you the cup to put in your vault?"

"You said you trusted only me to do it," she said proudly, "That I was your most faithful and loyal and-"

"Had the most to lose," he finished for her, "Because if that cup was destroyed, the voices would come back. If I died, the voices would come back."

"And I would know because the mark-" she cut herself off as she looked down at her arm, "It's not supposed to be like that."

"No Bella," he said as he stroked her cheek, "It's not."

Her breathing got heavier again, tears streamed down her face in salty rivers and the twitching came back at full force. She stumbled from Voldemort over to the wall and collapsed in shivers and screams of rage, clutching her left forearm so hard that she drew blood.

"NO!" She screamed, "NO! YOU'RE HERE!"

"No I'm not," he told her, "It is because I am not that I am."

Hermione shook her head in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about, his statements completely contradicting one another. She stared at the two of them; Voldemort, cold, calm, collected, and Bella: Shaking, crying, hysterical. The two images didn't belong in the same room together. All of a sudden the room began to shake as Bella steadily lost control. The chair that Voldemort had been sitting on levitated and then flew straight through Hermione before hitting the wall and shattering into a million pieces. The bed caught on fire, filling the room with smoke and all the while Bella sat there on the floor, cowering away from the imposing figure of the Dark Lord. He towered over her with a malevolent scowl on his face, his red eyes glowing with fury that wasn't there before.

"You disappoint me Bella," he said coldly, drawing his wand.

"No," she cried, "Please my lord! Please! I didn't mean to! I tried!"

"You didn't try hard enough!" he whispered, "You suffer because you didn't try hard enough!"

"No my lord, please!" She cried, "I'll do anything!"

"It's too late now Bella," he said as he aimed his wand at her, "Crucio!"

Bella shrieked, writhing on the floor, her limbs contorting into odd shapes to try and get rid of the overwhelming pain that took control of her body. It may have been wrong, but Hermione hated seeing anyone like that…she wanted to help her. She wanted to kill the Dark Lord all over again. Hearing even someone as sadistic and evil as Bellatrix Lestrange, scream for her life to be over, was more than Hermione could bare.

The door to the ward suddenly opened and several healers piled in, armed with sleeping potions and magic suppressers. In the time that Hermione gazed at him, Bella still writhed on the floor and shrieked, begging the Dark Lord for forgiveness. She watched as the healers filled syringes with potions and then approached Bella…with a jolt, Hermione saw that the Dark Lord was gone! She spun around in a circle looking for him but he wasn't there…and yet Bella was still asking him for forgiveness, begging him to stop torturing her. It was only when the Healers managed to get the syringes in her arms did she finally stop howling. The fire on the bed extinguished itself and Hermione's vision began to fade. The memory was over and all it had done was give more questions than answers.


	9. The Cat's out of the Bag

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Ok I'm fairly sure that this chapter is less confusing than the last but once more it is HIGHLY UNUSUAL!  
**

**Cheers guys. As always if you have any questions, let me know in a review and I will get back to you.**

**P.S Sorry for the late update, real life really sucks some days.  
**

**~VTM**

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Chapter Nine: The Cat's out of the bag

She sat behind her desk once more, staring intensely at the other two vials before her. Their contents flickered and swam within its crystal prison, begging to be set free. One was labelled with Bellatrix's patient number. Hermione shuddered at the thought of entering another St Mungo's memory, it would just be too much, especially if the Dark Lord decided to pay another visit…which was still just as confusing as it had ever been. The last memory had been left blank and she supposed that this might be a memory from the prison or before she was captured. It was also something she dreaded to look at. She decided that going through the paper work would be a safer route but even as she used shaky fingers to open one of the files, she knew that it would be useless. Just as she was about to give up and look at the other memories there was a ringing noise that came from her robe pocket.

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard!_

_And their like is better than yours!_

_Damn right! It's better than yours!_

_I could teach you but I'd have to charge!_

She gave a frustrated sigh as she picked out her phone and placed it to her ear.

"Harry I'm going to murder you for changing my ringtone again," she told him. She heard a soft chuckle from the other end.

"I was wondering when you'd notice," He laughed at her. She couldn't help but smile in spite of herself.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I have Zabini's address for you. Do you have a quill?"

She wrote down the address when he gave it to her and she shoved the small piece of parchment inside her pocket before turning her attention back to Harry.

"Did you find out anything at Azkaban?" He asked her.

"A few things," she said quietly, "But nothing that makes sense yet."

"Where are you headed next? I'll come along with you-"

"No Harry," she said firmly, "You don't want to know what I'm doing next. I don't want to implicate you."

"Hermione," he said warningly, "Where are you going?"

"I'll see you when I get back," she told him before she shut off her phone. She then turned it back on again and dialled Lavender's number. It rang for all of two seconds before she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Lavender, it's Hermione. Are you still at the house?"

"I just got back actually. I have the address for you," she said, "Why?"

"I want you to put Malfoy on the phone."

There was a long period of silence and a bit of background noise before Lavender spoke again.

"Umm, can I ask why?"

"Not unless you want to be privy to potentially illegal information," Hermione laughed, "Put him on the phone."

There was a shuffle or two, a massive yell of "MALFOY!" and a few curses that escaped Lavender's lips before she so dutifully told him to turn the phone around the right way.

"Hello?" He asked in a very confused voice.

"Mr Malfoy," Hermione said, "It's Granger."

"How was your visit to Azkaban?" He asked her politely.

"Eventful," she told him stiffly before getting to her point, "I need to ask you something. Can I guarantee that I'll get a straight answer?"

"Depends on what the question is."

"Move into another room…and ditch Severus while you're at it."

"That wasn't a question."

"Just do it."

There was a soft chuckle from Malfoy as he opened a door, told Severus to go and teach Aria how to make a Hearing Enhancement Draught and shut the door behind him once more.

"Ok Miss Granger…ask."

"Voldemort always had ways of keeping track of his Death Eaters…correct?" She asked him.

"Yes he did," he said without skipping a beat.

"Was there more than one way?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"Were you ever privy to such magical technology?"

There was a long pause between them in which she thought that he was really considering what she was saying.

"Who are you looking for?" He asked her quietly. She could hear him moving further away from the door he had come from and probably up the stairs into her office where he could not be overheard.

"That's not an answer," she said to him as she began pacing her ministry office, "Were you given access to this magical technology or not?"

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Do you still have access to it?" She asked him.

"Very little of it," he told her, "Most of it was ceased by the ministry after my arrest. They don't even know that they have it. There was a spell implanted in all of our marks though, that allowed some of the more trusted members to find one another…certain higher ranked clicks within the Death Eaters were linked to one another so that the Dark Lord could find us at all times."

Again with the damn mark.

"Alright," she sighed, "This is what you're going to do…"

***

She landed in a muddy ditch in the forests of Italy with a diluted _pop_. With a grunt and a groan she fished her phone out of her wet pocket and placed it as close to her ear as she could without getting more weeds in her hair.

"You still there?" She asked.

"Yes," Lucius replied.

"Good," she said as she started to walk and clean herself up, "Is he still in the safe house?"

There was a slight pause and a grunt of pain.

"Yes, he's still there," he said heavily, "Though he knows that I'm trying to find him. He's blocking me and may be moving soon. You must hurry if you wish to catch him."

"If I don't catch him I'll go after the other one in Spain," she told him, "He'd probably be easier."

"He wouldn't have the right information. It shouldn't take you long to catch this one if you're smart," he told her, "Just stay low and don't let him draw his wand."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said as she rolled her eyes and started to walk a little faster.

"Granger?"

"Yes?"

"Don't let him kill you just to spite me," Lucius said before he hung up the phone. She pulled her phone in front of her, looking confused at it as if it were Malfoy himself.

"Don't worry," she whispered to herself, "My desire for your death isn't quite as strong as my own desire to live."

With that she put her muggle contraption back in her pocket and kept moving. After about thirty seconds of walking through swamp like conditions she felt it. It was exactly how Malfoy had described it. An electrical pulse began to run through her body at small intervals of time. The further she ventured into the area, the stronger the pulses became. After another thirty seconds one hit her so strongly that it knocked her off her feet. She was close, so very close. She began to crawl the rest of the way on her hands and knees, almost incapacitated by the electricity running through her veins. The mud squelched beneath her hands and knees and she sank lower and lower into its depths. Soon she was swimming in it. If it weren't for the fact that it had reduced the shocks considerably she would have screamed bloody murder for the state of her hair.

Soon the mud pool became shallow again and she was able to crawl out. She collapsed heavily onto some hard ground for the first time since she arrived and breathed deeply. The fact that Voldemort had placed Electric Shock charms around the area's where his safe houses were truly showed what kind of skill the monster had. To have a spell continue, especially one as complicated as this one, after your death was a feat that not many could achieve. After leaving her face in the dirt for an insurmountable length of time, she finally found the strength to crawl forward and then stand. Once more she cleaned herself off and gave a great sigh. She could curse Malfoy for making this so difficult. She walked for another few minutes or so and finally her destination came into view.

A small shack about the size of an outhouse built for two stood before her. Its doors were falling off its hinges and the wood was rotting everywhere. It seemed that the handle had conveniently fallen from its post as well. She lurked forward and whispered the password that Lucius had given her to the place where the door knob should have been and was pleased to see the door swing forward for her immediately. She wasn't at all surprised by the scene she was met with inside.

Carlos Avery was rushing about the now apartment sized room packing things into a small suitcase. He was frantic, his robes billowing behind him as he ran from one side of the room to the other. He had obviously guessed from whatever Malfoy had done to try and find him, that Malfoy had gone and betrayed the safe house locations to the Aurors in order to avoid a death sentence. Hermione decided that perhaps a…sneaky approach was needed.

She edged into the room as quietly as possible and snuck up behind him as he bent over one of the tables gathering maps and other pieces of parchment. He froze when he felt the tip of her wand brushing by the nape of his neck.

"Hello Carlos," she said sweetly. She could almost feel the scowl that was on his face through the shaft of her wand.

"I always knew you would be an Auror Granger," he grunted at her, "How many years did you have to take off of Malfoy's sentence to find me?"

"If it were up to me Malfoy would be rotting in prison like you should be," she said calmly, "However I'm here for his benefit not his demise."

"How long until your friends get here to pin me with all his crimes then?" He spat at her.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she smiled, "But it's just me. No one knows I'm here."

She removed her wand from his neck and stepped backwards. He turned around to face her slowly with a confused and weary expression in his eyes. His hand twitched towards the pocket his wand was poking out of.

"I'm not here to take you in," she told him calmly, "I have no interest in handing you over to the Aurors."

For a moment he looked hopeful.

"Are you wanting to go to the dark side?" He asked her, "Because dirty blood or not, I'll take all the allies I can get."

"You're every bit as charming as your son you know that?" She said to him, "No, I'm not turning dark. I just have a few questions that I hope you'll answer."

"What's in it for me?"

"If you answer these questions truthfully I may be able to keep you out of Azkaban and have you exiled instead."

He thought about it for a few minutes and then looked up at her again.

"What is it you're doing here exactly, Granger?"

"I'm Lucius Malfoy's Magical Law Enforcer," she told him without skipping a beat, "And a few of the pieces of his case don't add up."

***

Harry entered the house with a weary look in his eye. The stupid idiots from the Department of Tracking and Traces had lost his lead on Avery and were struggling to get it back. Three years he had been tracking that bastard and just when he thought that he finally had him some idiot decides to take an extra long lunch to break up with his girlfriend. Harry would have cursed him into the next millennium if Hermione hadn't taken his wand from him. He was so lucky that no one in his department had found out that bit of information. He would be the laughing stock of the entire ministry!

"What's got you looking so sour?"

He turned to see Lavender sitting at the dinner table playing cards with Rabastan and Aria.

"Rough day," he grunted at them, "Heard from Hermione?"

"Yeah," Lavender told him, "She rang about three hours ago and told me to put Malfoy on the phone."

Harry frowned but said nothing. He sat opposite Lavender and watched the game of pretend poker, Aria cleaning her father and new friend up by the galleon. She really was multitalented that kid. It just made Harry wonder even more who her mother was.

"When do you think Granger will get back?" Rabastan asked them.

"How long did she say she would be gone?"

"A week."

"Then she'll be out for two," Lavender smirked.

"She doesn't have time to be out for two."

They all turned to stare as Severus emerged from the doorway and sat next to Lavender. She squirmed a tiny bit but did not move. It was a mark of how much she had grown.

"She still has a month and a half before the trial starts," Harry told him.

"Once again Potter, your idiocy astounds me," Severus rolled his eyes as he produced a letter from his pocket, "Malfoy's moved the trial date for the first crime up to three weeks from today."

"Apparently she was slightly off in her estimation then," Malfoy said as he entered from another door on the other side of the kitchen, "She guessed four if I'm not correct."

"Has anyone told her yet?" Rabastan asked, standing from his seat.

"I borrowed Miss Brown's cell phone half an hour ago," Severus told him, "She says for _you_," he pointed to Rabastan, "To continue questioning Draco's witnesses. She says for _you_," he pointed at Harry, "Not to try and find her and she says for _you_," he indicated Lavender, "To do some research on the background of Bellatrix Lestrange."

They all blinked at him.

"Why Bellatrix Lestrange?" Lavender asked quietly, "Didn't she question her at the prison?"

"Apparently Bella passed away last night," Severus told them lightly, "I don't know about you but I find questioning the dead rather difficult."

***

She didn't know how long it took to convince him that she wasn't an Auror. It probably took her longer to convince him that she wasn't going to hand him over. But somehow, through all the callous remarks, the name calling and the suspicion, she managed to get him talking to her. He stared at the tape recorder that she placed between them on the table with a little apprehension.

"What is that thing?" He asked her.

"It's a tape recorder," she told him, "It'll record everything we say onto that little contraption inside so that I can listen to it later on, go over the conversation."

"Can't you just use a pensieve?" He asked her.

"Pensieves and memories are tiring," she said to him, "I'd have to concentrate very hard on what you're saying. This just makes a copy of it."

He still eyed the tiny contraption up every chance he got but said nothing more on the subject as the questioning began.

"What was Malfoy like when he was with the other death eaters?" She asked him.

Avery leaned back and placed his hands behind his head, his feet on the table as they talked. He gave a great sigh.

"Commanding," Avery told her, "During the first war he had been given the job of keeping us in line and on task and he did so without failure. He took us on raids; he made sure we did what we were supposed to and nothing more. Just what the Dark Lord wanted. Bloody kiss arse when it came to him."

"What about during the second war?" She asked him.

"I can't tell you much about that," he said to her, shaking his head.

She blinked at him, completely confused.

"That _was_ you who tried to kill me in the Final Battle wasn't it?" She asked him with raised eyebrows.

"Probably," he shrugged, "But I don't remember much of that either."

Now she really looked confused. He sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"When the Dark Lord came back," he whispered, "Things were different."

"How so?"

"The first time around I was aware of everything that I was doing," he told her without remorse, "I enjoyed what I was doing. Burning down houses every other week and blowing up those muggle contraptions…er…what are the called again…Auto moblies?"

"Auto mobiles," she corrected him, "Otherwise known as cars."

"Well, those anyway," he continued, "It was all fun and games and it was brilliant for us. But…"

"But?"

"There were those who…went too far for my liking," Avery suddenly confessed, "Dolhov in particular was rather malicious. We were on a raid once. You know, just the usual…."

"Pillage, plunder and torture," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," he said, "I saw him go into one of the houses and pull out a family there. The two parents and their son. He looked about, I don't know, thirteen? I thought at first that he was trying to save them instead of burn them to a crisp. I was right ready to curse him and call him a traitor. But then he dragged them off into an alley. He had this glint in his eye that I hadn't seen before. He immobilized the husband and the son, sat them up against the wall and silenced the mother…I think you can guess what happened next."

Hermione looked at him. It was plainly obvious what happened next.

"I'm an evil bastard," he suddenly said, "I know that and I live by it. But the original Death Eaters, like Dolhov and Lestrange…they were something else."

She stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"It was one thing to believe in the Dark Lord and what he was doing," he told her, "It was another thing entirely to be so cruel. When I blew up buildings and cars it was to make a statement and possibly put on a little show if I felt like it. I always made sure that my victims died quickly. But Lestrange and Dolhov made them suffer the entire time."

"When was this?" She asked him, "With Dolhov I mean?"

"I believe it was July, 1996," he said to her, "I don't remember much of the war after that. I remember when Dumbledore died and I remember when we took over the Ministry, but other than that…nothing."

Her eyes suddenly flickered to his left arm. He seemed to notice and stared up at her again.

"I haven't felt that thing burn in a long time," he said as he rolled up his sleeve, "When Malfoy was looking for me…I have to say, the pain of it knocked me sideways."

She almost gasped when his sleeve was up the entire way. The mark glowed fresh and moving and…green.

"When did it turn green?" She asked him, "It was always black in my memory."

"As soon as the Dark Lord fell," he told her, "I…think it was then anyway. One moment I was watching Bellatrix torture a muggle into insanity as celebration for taking over the ministry and the next I was covered in blood inside the Great Hall and running for my life. I looked at my mark after I managed to escape and it was exactly like it is now."

She stepped up from her chair and moved over to his side of the table.

"May I?" She asked him, holding out her hands. He looked a little hesitant but held out his arm to her. Softly, she prodded the mark with the tip of her wand. He hissed slightly at the contact and she apologised. Her diagnostic spells came back inconclusive. She gave a slight huff and he laughed.

"Did you really expect to find anything?" He asked her with a dark smile, "The Dark Lord himself put that thing on my arm."

"It was worth a try," she shrugged as she moved back to her seat.

***

They were all in the kitchen when they heard it.

_It's in your eyes_

_I can tell what you're thinking_

_My heart is sinking too_

_It's no surprise…_

Harry gave an indignant growl when he picked up his phone.

"I don't like your choice of revenge," he said to her plainly as the entire kitchen was trying to hold in their laughter.

"That wasn't payback," she said on the other end, "That's been sitting there for the past month. It's not my fault you constantly have your phone on silent mode."

"Where are you?" He asked her, rolling his eyes.

"On my way to France," she told him, "Apparently Zabini decided to go on holiday and one of my other potential witnesses lives there…can you put me on speaker?"

He did as he was told and placed the phone in the middle of the table.

"Right," Hermione said, "Who am I talking to?"

"Everyone," Rabastan told her, "Shall I kick Aria out?"

"Might be a good idea."

"Hermione!"

"Aria you don't want to listen to this, it's boring grown up stuff. Why don't you go and redecorate your room?"

"Can I use what ever colours I want?" The little girl asked hopefully.

"No pink," they could all feel Hermione shudder down the end of the line, "Or the combination of green and silver! I've had enough of that to last me a life time!"

"YAY!" Aria ran off down the hall with a delighted smile.

"You're too good with her," Rabastan told her.

"What can I say? Kid's love me."

"Miss Granger," Lucius suddenly spoke, "Just what is wrong with the combination of green and silver?"

"A great many things," she told him without skipping a beat, "I'll compose a full list for you by the time I get back."

"Shall I send you some red and gold parchment? It would be most fitting for the occasion."

"No I think sticking to green and silver would be better."

"And why is that?"

"It's almost as irritating as you are."

Malfoy gave a small smirk. She was only toying with him, her resolve was softening. Things were going according to plan. The others just looked at him, slightly perplexed at where this banter had come from. Not too long ago she had been ready to rip his hair right from his scalp and use it as a pixy duster.

"Have you had any luck with Draco's witnesses Rabastan?" She asked.

"Not all that much," he told her, "Though I have to say that Crystal Clearwater was rather suspicious next to the other victims."

"How so?"

"Melanie Cooper and Georgina Everstein were clearly traumatized," he explained, "Cooper couldn't even speak. But Clearwater was…different. She seemed to be enjoying the interview."

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Lavender?"

The girl suddenly leaned forward from her seat.

"Yes Hermione?"

"How much have you found on Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Not all that much yet," she told her, "They keep her files under lock and key."

"If you can't get into her Hogwarts records, take a look into her medical records, right from the day she was born. I want to know everything about that woman's health."

"Are you going to tell us what you're working on?" Rabastan asked her, "I in particular would like to know."

"You'll know everything once I know everything," she told him before directing her conversation back to Lavender, "I also want to know everything about the dark mark and spells in magical tattoos."

Lavender and everyone else looked at the phone rather perplexed.

"And the point of that is?" She asked.

"I'll let you know when I know," she told them. Once more there was a long pause. They heard a gasp on the other end and some rushed footsteps.

"Miss Granger?" Severus asked, "Are you alright?"

"Harry," she said quietly, "Did you get _The Prophet_ today?"

"No," he told her, "I haven't read that thing since fifth year."

"Someone go and fetch the copy that's on my front doorstep…NOW!"

Severus instantly got up and left. There was the sound of a door slamming on the other end of the phone and some hurried footsteps. She was running into a bathroom from the sounds of things.

"Hermione are you ok?" Harry asked her, just as Severus came back into the room.

"Granger where are you?" He asked instantly, throwing the paper on the table.

"The Ministry, third floor girl's bathroom," she said instantly. Severus gave a nod to Harry and he left immediately before anyone could say a word. They all looked down at the table once more to the paper's headline on the very front page…

_War hero defends war criminal: Hermione Granger's betrayal_


	10. When it all comes together

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here you go guys, this might actually give you some answers. If you can't figure anything out then everything shall be revealed in the next chapter. As always if you have any questions feel free to review and I'll get back to you when I can.**

**P.S Sorry for the late update, real life really sucks some days.  
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**VTM**

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Chapter Ten: When it all comes together

She had known from the very beginning that the looks she was going to be given would be terrible. The entire ministry glared daggers at her as she and Harry walked through the atrium. She could see some people's hands twitch towards their pockets. They were just about at the fireplaces when the whispers started.

"Stupid bitch."

"Traitor."

"Just as bad as he is."

"Can't believe she would do this…"

"Don't worry," Harry said as he wrapped an arm around her, "I won't let them near you."

"Traitor."

"Death Eater whore."

"I know Harry," she said calmly, leaning into his embrace, "But I'm going to have to deal with this on my own. I don't want you coming to France with me."

"Hermione…"

"No," she whispered, "You'll make my witnesses even more reluctant to testify."

"Mudblood bitch."

"Traitor to her own race."

"Needs a good curse if you ask me."

"Who cares about witnesses Hermione!" Harry hissed at her, "Your safety comes first!"

"My safety can wait until I get a handle on this case!" She hissed back.

"Stupid mudblood."

"Beastly girl."

"Traitor to her own cause…"

"At least take…" Harry thought twice as a hoard of people went past, "At least take your second chair with you. I'm sure he needs to know what's going on too."

"When are you all going to stop questioning my methods?" She whispered back frustratedly, "There's a reason why…_my client_ is dropping hints to me and _not_ my second chair. He wants me to figure it out."

"Since when do you cater to _him_?!" Harry asked her, becoming just as frustrated as he swung her around to face him. She turned and looked at him with a cold determination that he hadn't seen since the war ended. There was a flash behind her eyes that was deathly.

"Harry," she said to him, her voice suddenly cold with a hint of fear, "This case doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?"

"I think there's more to it."

"How can there be more to it?" He asked her incredulously, "He's guilty, that's it!"

"I thought so too," she said to him desperately as they got inside a fireplace and finally left the ministry, a million pairs of eyes glaring at them. They landed back in Hermione's office where no one could over here them.

"But now?" He asked her.

"All this stuff that he's given me," she said to him, "All the hints he's been dropping and the things that I've found…may be pointing me in a different direction."

Harry stared at her as though she had just sprouted two heads. Before he could say anything else, Hermione was bombarded. Lavender wrapped her arms around her tightly, as did Aria and the rest of the men walked into the room, some with stony faces, others curious and another looking highly concerned.

"Did they try to curse you at all?" Lavender asked her as she let go.

"No," Hermione shook her head, "Harry's presence was enough to ward them off."

"It won't stay that way," Lucius told her heavily, more gravity in his voice than she had heard for a very long time, "They'll come after you whether Potter is there or not soon enough."

Harry was about to object when Lavender cut in before him.

"He's right," she said, "You two may be war heroes but you know how this world works. All they'll see is you defending one of Voldemort's top men. They won't care that you've been forced into it, they won't care if you come up with some miracle to get him off."

"That's nice and all," Hermione told them, extracting Aria from her side, "But I have to go and see a few people."

She went to leave the room but Severus stood in front of her, arms crossed and stubborn, his eyes glittering with determination.

"You aren't going anywhere without me."

She blinked at him.

"If I'm not enough to stop them what makes you think that you will be?" Harry spat at him, "They hate you."

"They fear him," Lucius elaborated for his friend, "They respect you but they fear him."

"Whether they fear him or wish to feed him rainbows and sunshine for breakfast, I'm still going on my own," she said stubbornly, "Dragging your name into this will just open suspicions for your loyalty again and I'm _not_ spending another six months trying to convince the world that you were on our side the entire time."

She went to step around him but he stayed in front of her. He had that same glare on his face he had when Harry had first walked into his potions classroom all those years ago, that same penitent scowl, just waiting for her to make a move that would be deadly.

"You don't frighten me Severus," she glared at him, "Now get out of my way."

"Try and make me," he challenged, "I'm twice your size."

"I have a wand," she scowled.

"There's five of me and one of you."

"Magic still tips the scales in my favour."

"You can't stun all five of us at once."

"I can try."

"You could, but you would lose."

She knew he was right and she childishly turned her face away from them in a scowl. She then sighed and turned back to him.

"You aren't coming in with me when I interview my witnesses," she told him firmly, "Narcissa will run in the opposite direction and Zabini-"

"Will wet his robes," Lavender smirked. She ignored her and grabbed Severus by the wrist before walking out the door and aparating away.

***

They landed outside _L'hotel Chère_ with a small crack. Hermione dislodged herself from Severus immediately and began to walk quickly across the busy street. She was pleased to note that there were no glares or mutterings there from the witches and wizards that walked by. They stared oddly at Severus but greeted her with smiles. Apparently news hadn't yet reached France of her supposed betrayal.

"When we get inside," she said as they stood outside the revolving doors, "You will not approach either of the-"

"I get it Granger," Severus rolled her eyes, "Don't frighten the children."

"I know it's _so_ hard for you Severus," she smirked.

The entire hall was bathed in gold and marble, the complete epitome of extravagance. Their footsteps echoed through the great hall as they made their way to the wide front desk and the witch behind it with the expression befitting that of the former Mrs Malfoy.

"Bonjour Madame," Hermione said to her with a smile, "Où peut je trouver Mademoiselle Narcissa Black et Monsieur Blaise Zabini?"

"Pourquoi?" She asked, looking extremely bored.

Severus rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

"Un question de vie et morte," he spat at her, "Ou est Black et Zabini?"

The witch looked a little shocked at his tone but responded as she should have the first time. Hermione glared at him.

"You said not to scare the children," he told her, "You said nothing about the incompetent."

She rolled her eyes as she turned back to the witch.

"Le troisième etage, quatrième port cette a gauche et le deuxième etage, sixième cette a droit," the witch replied, eying Severus suspiciously.

"Merci Beaucoup," Hermione smiled at her as she went off to the elevator. Severus went to go with her but she stopped him.

"Stay here," she told him, "If you see one of them sneaking out while I'm interviewing the other then stop them."

"How am I to do that without scaring them?" He asked her.

"Turn into a rabbit and jump out of a hat for all I care."

He gave her the most disgruntled look but said nothing as she stalked off to the elevator. She got off at the second floor, deciding that talking to Blaise would probably be easier than Narcissa at this stage. She just hoped like hell that they didn't know that they were both staying at the same hotel. She walked along the long marble corridor until she came to the sixth door on the right, just as she had been told. She briefly considered knocking but decided that just going in would be a better idea. It would give him less of a chance to escape. She opened the lock to the door with her wand and made her way inside. It was quiet inside his room, almost too quiet. She kept her wand out as she made her way through the kitchen and then the living room and after that the bathroom. The only place left was the bedroom. She scrunched her nose up a bit, hoping like hell that she wouldn't encounter anything too nasty. She pushed the door open with the tip of her wand and was only half relieved…and half surprised at what she found. She tipped her head to the side as she gazed at the sight of Blaise Zabini, completely naked in bed, sleeping thank Merlin…with a just as naked, just as unconscious Narcissa Black.

"Well that's new," she whispered to herself as she magically sealed the rooms and pocketed their wands before turning to them. She decided that she was over being quiet and reached her hand inside her other pocket, pulling out a Decoy Detonator that George had given her for her birthday once. She wound it up, stepped back and laughed heartily when it exploded. Blaise fell off the bed in a heap of sheets and Narcissa screamed her lungs out. After giving up searching for their wands they finally turned to see the still giggling form of Hermione Granger standing before them.

"Oh that was priceless," she laughed, "You should have seen the looks on your faces!"

"What the fuck do you want Granger?" Zabini asked angrily as he made to step towards her. She pulled out her wand quickly though and he stopped instantly.

"Language Zabini. At the moment I want the two of you to get dressed and meet me in the living room," she said coolly, "Don't bother trying to get out because I have this place sealed and warded."

Blaise openly glared at her. He had every right to. After all he had lost his job because of her. Then again, it was all his fault for breaking the rules in the first place. Narcissa however, just gave a tiny nod and began to dress herself before Hermione even left the room. Hermione was glad to see that there was still the understanding between them of client and enforcer. She had hoped that it may stay there and give her a hand with the difficult questions she was about to ask. She sat on one of the leather arm chairs that was located in the far corner of the room and waited for the two of them to appear. It didn't take long.

"Why are you here Granger?" Narcissa asked her softly.

"Has Zabini told you who my latest client is?" She asked her as the blond woman sat on the sofa and Zabini next to her.

"No," she said simply.

"I didn't think it necessary," Blaise told her.

"Unfortunately it is," Hermione told them both, "I need to do what's best for my client."

"Even if he's an evil, murderous, scumbag?" Blaise asked her.

"That's the thing Blaise," she said softly, "I'm not so sure that he is any more."

Narcissa suddenly froze.

"Please tell me you aren't talking about…?"

Blaise looked away from her as she hit him on the chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She screeched at him.

"Because you have nothing to do with him anymore!" He told her, "Because all he does is cause you pain! You didn't need to know this."

"What I didn't _need_ was your protection!" She told him, "I can look after myself."

"Sorry to interrupt," Hermione said, "But…how long have you two…?"

"Two and a half years," Narcissa told her instantly.

"I thought we were keeping this a secret," Blaise suddenly said.

"We are."

"Then why did you just tell her?"

"Because she isn't going to tell anyone," Narcissa rolled her eyes, "She wouldn't be here if she didn't need us for some reason and if she wants to keep us happy she'll keep it quiet."

"Oh Narcissa you know me to well," Hermione said in false sweetness. The woman glared.

"What do you want to know?" Narcissa asked her quickly, "I have a hair appointment in an hour."

"If your boyfriend-"

"Fiancé," Narcissa corrected her.

"Cissy!" Blaise hissed.

"Oh get over it," she rolled her eyes, "It's not like it's going to stay secret when we get married."

"If your _fiancé_," Hermione corrected herself, "Goes along with my questions just as well as you do then I should be out of your hair within thirty minutes."

***

Lucius sat across the table from Aria as she brewed her calming draught that Severus had told her to master. They were alone in the kitchen together for the first time since they had both moved into Hermione's house and Lucius had to say that he found the child rather intriguing. She had such a sunny disposition, such a caring touch. She was definitely more like her mother than anyone else. Yes, Lucius knew who her mother was. He had been one of the very few fortunate enough to meet her during his Death Eater days. He had to say that she had been one of the brightest lights during his darker days and not just for himself or Rabastan either but for many others.

"Did your father ever tell you who your mother was?" He asked her quietly.

"Yes," she said, not taking her eyes off of her potion, "He talks about her all the time."

"He really did love her didn't he," Lucius said more to himself than her.

"Uh huh," the little girl smiled, "He tells me every day how much he loved her and how much he loves me."

"Does he ever tell you how much you look like her?" He asked her.

"How do I look like her?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at him once she was done stirring her concoction. Lucius gave her a smile.

"You have her eyes," he told her, "Clear as day. And you have her cheek bones, very high and pronounced. And," he reached a finger across and tapped it lightly on her nose, "You have her cute little button nose."

Aria giggled.

"Daddy always tells me how much he likes my nose," she confessed to him, "Did you know my mummy?"

"I did," he told her, "She was a lovely woman."

"Could you tell me about her?" She asked, "Daddy always tells me what she was like, how she was kind and generous and loving…but he never tells me any stories about her."

"Aria! Where are you?"

They both looked towards the kitchen door as Rabastan called for his daughter.

"Perhaps another time," Lucius told her, "Your father wouldn't want you sitting on your own with me."

"Why?" She asked you, "You aren't bad."

Lucius smirked. Always through the eyes of a child…

"Aria!"

"Go on," he said, ushering her out the room.

***

Hermione sat before the two of them with her tape recorder on the table, ready and waiting for whatever evidence the two of them might have been holding back.

"Right," she finally said, "I want to start with you Blaise."

He didn't say anything at first until Narcissa elbowed him in the ribs and he rolled his eyes.

"What do you want to know?" He asked her.

"What happened the night your mother got her Dark Mark?" She asked him. He froze.

"What do you want to know that for?" He asked her viciously. Clearly this was a sore spot for him. Narcissa gave him a pleading look and rubbed his forearm in comfort.

"Because believe it or not," Hermione told him quietly, "Lucius Malfoy's case may be tied into your mother's. If I can find the evidence I need…I might be able to prove that your mother was innocent after all."

"I don't believe you," he snapped.

"I have evidence from a former Death Eater who is now on the run that suggests that there may have been more to Voldemort's inner circle than meets the eye," she told him, "This evidence is also linked to Elmira Zabini, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. If I get something similar from you then I may be able to prove that Elmira was a Death Eater against her will."

He glared at her with all the pain and scorn he could muster. This really was a sore spot for him.

"What happened?" She asked him quietly.

He looked over at Narcissa who nodded for him to answer.

"They shattered our wards," Blaise told her, "Shattered our wards and put up their own once they came through the front door."

"Who's they? I need names."

"Rookwood, Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix and the Dark Lord," he told her, "They came in and started looking for us. They killed my mother's husband at the time and began searching to kill me as well. Mum hid me in a secret passage behind a painting that she had been keeping secret for emergencies like that."

"Did this passage give you full view of what happened to her?"

"Yes," he nodded, "After they had overpowered her and taken her wand the Dark Lord stepped forward and told her that she couldn't stay neutral forever. He said that she had to pick a side…she spat in his face. He tortured her…I'll never forget her screams."

Narcissa hugged herself to his side and he continued.

"He made her kneel before him and held up her left arm. He burned the mark into it and then…" he screwed up his face in concentration, "He put some kind of potion on it. It turned green and then went back to black again. She stopped screaming after that. He-he let her stand up and…"

"What happened?" Hermione urged him quietly.

"He-he kissed her," he told her in disgust, "A full on kiss. She had hated him ever since he had taken away her first husband in the first war…my dad, the only one of them she really loved…and she let him kiss her like that?"

His arm suddenly flung out and the vase that had been resting beside him on a table was thrown across the room. Narcissa kissed him on the cheek and pulled him into a hug.

"Did they find you after that?" Hermione asked him.

"No," he shook his head, wiping away his tears, "Mum obliviated herself after she hid me so that she wouldn't know where I was."

"Why wasn't this told to the aurors who arrested your mother?" Hermione asked him.

"It was," he told her bitterly, "But come one Granger. If you hadn't heard that evidence from your informer, would you believe any of it? Like purebloods are prejudiced against muggle borns, the rest of the world is prejudiced against Slytherins. You Gryffindors wouldn't trust us as far as you could throw us in school and you sure as hell wouldn't trust us now."

"I need to know who the auror's were who attended your mother's case," she told him, "And I'll want to know who her law enforcer was as well. But tell me that later. Where did you go after your mother went with the others?"

"Dumbledore," Blaise told her, "I went straight to him and I was promised protection. I didn't get it when he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hermione said honestly. He gave her a brief nod, knowing that she was being genuine. She then turned to Narcissa.

"When I defended you," she said quietly, "You never spoke of your relationship with Lucius."

"Because for me the grief of losing him to Azkaban was still too near," she told her, "I hadn't divorced him by then and so I was still trying to be the loyal wife I had always been."

"Will you talk about it now?" Hermione asked her.

Narcissa took a deep breath.

"My relationship with Lucius was one of convenience."

"How so?" Hermione asked her.

"My mother wanted to climb the social ladder," Narcissa told her as she held onto Blaise's hand for support, "Of course it helped that she had three beautiful daughters who had been trained to act like perfect pureblood wives. But it wasn't only that. I was under threat at the time from some stalker whose name I can't even remember. Lucius just happened to pop up at the right moment for us all."

"Was he already involved with Voldemort then?" Hermione asked. Narcissa winced at the name but said nothing about it.

"No," she told her, "That came a month after our marriage. It was only practice back then that half the girls in seventh year were married by the time they graduated and expecting a child straight after. Lucius wrote to me regularly saying how his father had met "a new friend" and that he would "make everything right in the world". Like an absolute fool I believed him. I first met the Dark Lord a few days after graduation, hanging off of Lucius' arm like a scared puppy. Of course then my sister was introduced to him and it was love at first sight for them. But…I could never find myself as comfortable with him as the others. He frightened me in every way imaginable."

"Did Lucius know this?" Hermione asked her.

"Yes," she nodded, "And he did his best to keep me away from the revels and the meetings as much as possible."

"You said your marriage was one of convenience," she stated and Narcissa nodded again, "Yet you gave him a child and stayed with him after the first war ended."

"Divorce was frowned upon in pureblood society," she told her, "And I had become attached to Lucius far more than I should have. I did learn to love him in the end and Draco was always our first priority."

"What happened when Voldemort reappeared?" Hermione asked her, "What did Lucius do?"

"Lucius had settled down much from what he was," Narcissa told her with a sigh, "He had become more of a loving man and having the Dark Lord return was frightening to all of us. He had narrowly escaped charges the last time and his son needed him now more than ever. But like a good little servant he went to his master's side."

"You sound resentful."

"I have every reason to be," Narcissa spat at her, "The Dark Lord ruined my life and destroyed my family."

"I didn't mean towards Voldemort."

Narcissa stared at her for a few moments before she sighed again trying to calm herself down. Hermione noted that the woman still had a lot of anger with her.

"I was angry with Lucius for being so spineless," she finally admitted, "I begged him to go to Dumbledore to try and get us out of this but he wouldn't. He said that if he did…But I could see it in his eyes…It was there, I know it was…This…"

"This what?" Hermione asked her, looking at her for the first time, "What?"

"Fear," she whispered, "I don't know what he was afraid of but…and then he started coming home later and later and all of a sudden…the fear disappeared. He became this…this machine. Cold, emotionless, completely hollow. He was nothing of the man I knew, the man I loved…and then he went to prison and Draco was forced to take his place in the inner circle. I'd never seen him so aggrieved. He screamed at me to save him, to get him out of there before the Dark Lord did it to him too."

"Did what?" Hermione asked her desperately.

"He never told me," she said, "He just told me to forget about him and save our son."

Hermione furrowed her brow and stared at her lap. Connections were starting to form inside her mind, connections that no one had bothered to look at before. Avery's story, Bellatrix's memories, Zabini's horror, Narcissa's life…it was all made and destroyed by one man and that one man had…destroyed everyone else. Voldemort had been so selfish that he hadn't only destroyed the side of the light, the Order, the Ministry…he had destroyed his own followers. Abruptly, names of death eaters began to run through her mind. Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Rookwood, Mulciber, Lestrange one and two, McNair, Gibbon…all of these people had been Death Eaters and yet not one of their stories had been checked out.

"Excuse me," Hermione said as she stood and sway slightly with the weight of the conclusion she had just drawn, "I need to make a phone call."

She moved off into the bathroom with a slight stagger and locked and warded the door behind her. She put up as many silencing charms as she could think of and dialled Lavender's number.

"Hello?"

"Lavender, it's me."

"How's it going? I've got everyone here. I can put you one speaker if you-"

"No Lavender," She said quickly, "I need you to go up into my office where we can't be overheard."

There was a small pause as Lavender moved up the stairs and into Hermione's office.

"Ok I'm here," she said, "What do you need?"

"I need you to go into Knockturn Alley and fetch a man by the name of Crispin Forster," she said.

"The illegal potions master?" Lavender asked, "Why the hell would you need him? Surely Severus-"

"Severus wouldn't know nearly as much as this one would," she told her, "Believe me."

"Have you had dealings with him before?"

There was a pause in which Hermione decided the truth would be best.

"Yes," she said, "I had dealings with him during the war. Just tell him that I sent you and he should come running."

"Do you want to know what I have on Lestrange? I finally found someone who knew something and some actual records.'

"What did you get?" Hermione asked her, perking slightly.

"Bellatrix had something called Magical Insanity Disorder or M.I.D," Lavender told her, flicking through papers as she went, "Basically her magic was so strong that it caused her mind to break down the moment she became aware of her powers. She somehow overcame it when she was fifteen though and started attending Hogwarts then…It doesn't make sense though…it says in her records that she was already up to date with what everyone else was learning by the time she got there and that she was miles ahead of some of the others too…"

Hermione's mind instantly flicked back to the memory she had witnessed inside her office only hours ago. Bellatrix said that Voldemort had saved her…Voldemort had been there…MID…Bellatrix's father had been a real bastard…Voldemort had somehow made her sane again…her mark was green…Bella didn't like that it was green…Elmira's mark was green…she probably didn't like that all that much either…Avery's was green…he couldn't remember anything…Lucius was green…He had turned into a robot once Voldemort had come back…He was scared first…He knew what was coming…He told Narcissa to save Draco from his fate…

"Lavender go and get Forster now," she said forcefully as she exited the bathroom, "I'll be home soon."

She hung up the phone and walked out of the bathroom to see the other two looking at her funny.

"I have to leave but I may be back if something doesn't add up," Hermione told them quickly, "Shall I give your regards to Lucius?"

Narcissa gave a stiff nod and Zabini didn't do anything at all. Hermione was about to walk out the door when she thought better of it and turned back to them.

"Congratulations by the way," she said with a small smile, "I hope you're happy together."

Zabini looked stunned and Narcissa suddenly burst out laughing at the look on his face just as Hermione left them together.


	11. Like Shattered Glass

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the next chapter. And guess what! ANSWERS GALORE! hope you enjoy it guys and as always let me know if you have any questions at all. I promise I'll get to you when I can!  
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Chapter Eleven: Like Shattered Glass

_She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath for what she was about to do. She had never broken the rules where she could help it, never intentionally. She had always played by them and found rewards in doing so. But as she found out almost a week ago, after the battle in the Department of Mysteries…playing by the rules wasn't necessarily the best way to achieve your goals._

_She was standing outside a dodgy little apothecary in Knockturn Alley. The windows were boarded with rotting wood and the roof was caving in. The paint on the bricks was beginning to peel away and the door had a distinct squeak. It was a dingy little place but this was the _only_ place she would find what she needed for the right price and discretion to go with it._

_She moved up the steps quickly and heard the tiny shop bell ring as she made her way inside. The interior was just as bad with moth eaten furniture and what she suspected was an infestation of doxies in the corner curtain. The floor boards squeaked, the ready made potions were dusty and the ingredients were all out of order, some nonexistent and others with plenty of stock. She gave a sigh as she made her way to the front desk, reading a few of the labels along the way…_

The Mental Manipulation Mix: One drop and you can have your way with anyone…

Tantalizing Torture Tonic: See how many screams it takes…

Inside Out Elixir: If you like blood, guts and explosions, this brew is for you…

_It certainly wasn't for her but she knew that a few of these wouldn't go awry in the near future._

_"Can I help you miss?"_

_She turned to the front of the room to see the shop keeper. He was a man in his late eighties by the looks of it with thick lips and dark skin that was wrinkled and spotted. His hair was a dirty grey and he wore robes of black velvet with a belt of potions around his waist._

_"Yes," she said meekly, "I find myself in need of one of your…items."_

_"Come closer so I can see you," he told her. She was still on the other side of the room. She reluctantly moved into what little light there was in the shop. His face lit up into a grim smile at the sight of her._

_"I never thought I would see such a Gryffindor as you in my shop Miss Granger," he grinned._

_"I never thought I would be in such a shop as this Mr…"_

_"Forster," he said lightly as he came around to greet her, "Crispin Forster. It must have taken a great deal to bring you here Miss Granger. I've heard tales of your high moral standards from some of my…most valuable customers. I believe one of them even called you a "Prissy Gryffindor Princess of Muddy Morals." Quite a title you must admit."_

_"Did that same person happen to call me an "Insufferable Know-It-All" too?" She asked him lightly, "If so, you can tell Professor Snape that my blood is just as clean as his is."_

_"Ah I haven't seen Severus since he was a child," Forster commented, "He always bought very little but he was a wonderful conversationalist, even when he was a boy. Pity, I wouldn't mind doing business with him again."_

_"Well I'm not here to talk about certain snarky Professors," she said to him, "I'm here for a certain potion and I'm not leaving until I get it."_

_"Patience Missy," he told her, "I have no intention of turning you away. But I do wonder…my potions are expensive. Do you have the means to pay my prices?"_

_Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out a large brown sack. She threw it onto the counter and its many galleons fell out, pouring onto the rotten wood._

_"Gold is of no use to me now," she told him, "I'm willing to give you as much as it takes to get what I need."_

_He picked up one of the galleons and placed it between his teeth before smiling back at her again._

_"What can I get for you?" He asked her politely._

_She suddenly saw the face of her victim inside her head and she scowled. This was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't playing by the rules._

_"I want your most painful poison," she told him, "I want one that works quickly but makes it seem like hours before you die. I want a poison that will make you suffer a thousand deaths in a matter of seconds."_

_He thought about it for a moment and stared down at her._

_"There's only one that works like that," he told her, "You must really hate the person you wish to kill."_

_"I do," she said firmly._

_"Wait here," he ordered as he moved slowly into the back. She did as she was told and stood very still until he came back with a very small vile of black liquid. It bubbled inside the crystal prison and hissed when it came in contact with her skin._

_"My strongest, fastest, most torturous poison," he told her, "I've never had to sell it before so you will be the first."_

_"Can you guarantee me that it'll work?" She asked as she stared at it._

_"I said that you were the first I sold it to," he rolled his eyes, "Not the first to use it."_

_"How much?" She asked, her face firm._

_"Ten thousand galleons."_

_She pulled out another sack of galleons and threw it onto the counter with the first._

_"Five thousand in each," she said before she pulled out a piece of string and tied it around the vile, placing her newest piece of jewellery around her neck._

_"All you have to do is splash it onto the skin of your victim," he told her, "The poison will be absorbed immediately."_

_"Thank you," she said to him genuinely before she began to walk out the shop._

_"I hope to see you again Miss Granger," he said as he began to count his galleons._

_"I certainly hope not," she muttered as she exited and went back to the leaky cauldron so she could return to Hogwarts unnoticed…_

It had been five years since she had last seen Crispin Forster and for five years she had hoped that she would never have to call upon him again. Unfortunately, Lucius Malfoy had a habit of making her do things she didn't want to. She stood inside her office with all her staff and her client, minus Lavender who was out retrieving her newest witness. She was sitting behind her desk with a million pieces of paper and three sets of memories and audio tapes, going through them as quickly as possible, while the others sat on hard backed chairs waiting for her to say something. The moment she had walked in through the fire place, they knew she had something, something big.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on-"

"Shh."

"Hermione this is getting-"

"I said _shh_."

"Oh come on-"

"What part of _Shh_ do you not understand!" She snapped. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the three Slytherins snickering at her chastising Harry. At least they knew to be quiet about it. Hermione returned her eyes to her work, tracing over all the evidence she had collected and the evidence that Lavender had given her before she left. The medical files, the Hogwarts records and the memories of Bellatrix Lestrange depicting her problems with Magical Insanity Disorder. The memories and recordings of Carlos Avery, Narcissa Black nee Malfoy soon to be Zabini and Blaise Zabini showing what kind of a monster Voldemort really was. She then lifted her eyes to stare at her client. She wasn't surprised to see him stare straight back at her. She knew she had found what he wanted her to find just by looking at him now. He had an intensity in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. Severus also had that look about him as he sat next to his childhood friend. What ever Malfoy had wanted her to find, Severus was surely in on. Rabastan just looked lost as he sat next to the other two and stared at Hermione with more curiosity than anything else. Harry just looked plain bored. She knew it would take much longer to convince him of Malfoy's innocence, no matter what she found.

It was just then that the fireplace burst into emerald flames and Lavender stepped forward.

"Forster is coming through in a moment," she told them all, "He just has to close up his shop."

"Good," Hermione breathed as she stood from behind her desk, "When he comes I don't want anyone to interrupt. No matter what is said between us, no matter what evidence is found I want you all to keep quiet."

She received curt nods and grunts in response to her statement, not that she expected anymore from them. They were starting to grow tired of her methods.

"Oh!" Lavender said as she dove a hand into her robes, "Your secretary gave me your mail again. She also said to tell you that she would continue to work for you no matter how many howlers came her way."

"She's an idiot but she's loyal," Hermione smiled as she took the letters. She opened the first with caution.

"It's alright," Lavender said when she noticed her suspicion, "It's already been sorted through. The Minister saw to it personally apparently."

"I'm sure it's the least he could do," she rolled her eyes as she tore open the letter.

_Dear Hermione_

_So sorry to hear about your recent case. I had a feeling that it would be you though. I'm not really a fan of Malfoy so I won't offer to help in any way I can but I will wish you some luck and hope you don't get cursed for this. Maybe I should send you some Plimpe soup? It always makes me feel better when I get a difficult job._

_Love always_

_Luna_

"Trust Luna," Hermione smiled as she placed the letter on her desk. She didn't notice how Rabastan eyed the letter with curiosity.

_HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER IF YOU DO NOT GET YOUR LITTLE BUTT OVER HERE THIS INSTANT I SWEAR I WILL COME OVER THERE MYSELF!_

_With Love_

_Molly_

Hermione just rolled her eyes at that letter and tossed it in the fire. She would visit Molly soon to explain but she didn't need to do it that very minute.

_Granger_

_I've updated my witness list. It seems that I forgot to add a few names to the death eater charges so I've included that one with this letter along with the extra names and copies of the subpoenas I've gone and gotten to go with it._

_See you in a week's time_

_D.M_

_P.S That dress you wore the other day was nice. Perhaps that one for the trial? Maybe take it up a few inches though._

Hermione scrutinized the letter for a few moments before moving onto the next few pieces of parchment…

_PROSECUTION WITNESSES FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial they will be assisting with.)_

_DEATH EATER CRIMES AND PARTICIPATION IN ACTS OF TERRORISM:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Richard Mulciber (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Gregory Goyle I (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Vincent Crabbe II (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Rodolphus Lestrange (Convicted Death Eater)_

_Arthur Weasley (Former Ministry Employee)_

**_Caractacus Burke (Owner of Borgin and Burke's)_**

**_Alistair Borgin (Owner of Borgin and Burke's)_**

**_Ludovic Bagman (Former Ministry Employee)_**

**_Ronald Weasley (Quidditch Player, Witness to the crime)_**

_Rabastan Lestrange (Falsely convicted Death Eater)_

_Lavender Brown (Columnist for The Daily Prophet)_

_Severus Snape (Spy for the Order of the Phoenix, Potions Master, Witness to the Crime)_

_Harry Potter (The Man Who Lived, Head of the Auror Office, Witness to the Crime)_

_Hermione Granger (War Hero, Magical Law Enforcer, Witness to the Crime)_

Just as Malfoy had said in his letter, there were subpoenas in there for all of them.

"Well this poses a problem," she sighed as she passed on the letter, "But nothing we can't handle."

"Surely this conflict of interest is enough to get the case thrown out," Rabastan said incredulously as he passed the list on.

"Even if it is," Hermione told him, "The case can't be thrown out. Lucius needs to be tried and found innocent if he's going to have any sort of life."

They all stared at her. Lucius included.

"Since when do you care?" He asked quietly.

"Since I started to listen," she told him. He stared at her briefly before the flames of her fireplace once more turned emerald green and Crispin Forster was revealed.

"This is a lovely office you have Miss Granger," was the first thing he said.

"Glad to have your approval," she said stiffly.

"Ah, still the same Prissy Gryffindor Princess I see," he smiled.

"You forgot the muddy morals bit," she spat.

"Did I? My apologies."

"I assume you know why you're here," she said as she went and sat behind her desk, gesturing for him to take the opposite chair. He did so and nodded.

"I had a feeling this day would come," he said, "Would you like me to start from the beginning?"

"It would be preferable, yes."

He gave her another courteous smile and bowed his head.

"In 1949 I was introduced to a young man by the name of Tom Riddle by Borgin, his boss at the time. He was a very innovative young man with many ambitious ideas. He would come to my shop regularly until he disappeared completely in 1952. That was when the first disappearances started. I thought at first that he may have been one of the victims but it would be a while before I found out he was the cause. A nameless fear began to creep over Wizarding England and by 1961 we were in a state of all out warfare. I knew who was behind it by then. That same charming young man with ambitious ideas started coming to my shop again once the war began. He was less friendly this time, constantly sporting his wand and his…guards. He had changed very much from the last time I had spoken to him, not only in appearance but in his demeanour. He was quieter now with a high voice that commanded power. Before he had done nothing but command attention and was charismatic. Now he was hellish and frightening. It was on an early December morning in 1967 that I truly met Tom Riddle. It would be the first meetings of many. He came into my shop, demanding that I make him a potion."

"What kind of potion did he want?" Hermione asked him carefully.

"It is hard to explain," Forster told her, "He wanted a potion that would function like the imperius curse, and give him constant access to his victim's mind and yet he didn't want to be able to command them like he would with the actual curse. I knew instantly that he was not after total control. No, this was not some kind of punishment for an unwilling victim. It was a cure."

He put his hand down the front of his velvet robes and pulled out a luminescent green vile.

"This is my greatest creation," he told them, "And my greatest mistake."

"How does it work?" Rabastan asked him, leaning forward in interest.

"Voldemort would take a vile and consume it," Forster explained, "Then he would give his victim…or in the case of Bellatrix Lestrange, his patient…a dark mark. He would then pour some of the potion onto the mark. This would give him complete access to a person's mind when ever he wanted it."

"Bellatrix was his patient?" Snape asked, "How do you know this?"

"With the amount of dark characters that came into my shop it was only a matter of time before I heard something of real use," he told them, "The Dark Lord came back for refills of his potion once every three years after that. I would make it for him without question for fear of my own life and after each potion was administered I would hear of which person it was given to."

Hermione took a deep breath. She didn't like where this was going at all.

"What about the second war?" She asked quietly.

"When he returned in 1995 he came to see me immediately," he told her, "I made the potion for him as though nothing had changed, as though no time had passed. Once more I started hearing of personality changes and guessing who he had under his spell this time around. Some of the disappearances weren't disappearances at all but those who had been imprisoned, given the mark and then discarded once the information they had became useless. Certain Death Eaters who had been loyal in the beginning would waver for a few months and then they would turn into zombies at the sound of their lord's command."

His eyes lingered on Malfoy at that scentence.

"I remember hearing about you Mr Malfoy," he told him, "How just before the battle in the Ministry, you became cold and indifferent towards your wife and child. I remember very well when you came to visit my shop in 1992 that you were nothing of the sort."

Lucius inclined his head to the man in thanks.

"Wait, wait, wait," Harry waved his hands back and forth, "Are you seriously telling us that all the things he did weren't his fault? That Voldemort made him do it with some potion you made to control his mind?" He turned to Hermione with a desperate look in his eye, "Please tell me you don't believe this!"

She looked over at Malfoy.

"Roll up your sleeve," she said quietly. He didn't need telling twice. Once it was up all the way the emerald green snake and skull was revealed to its full capacity.

"One of the side effects of having the potion in the mark," Hermione said to them quietly as she gazed at the mark, "Is that it turned green once the connection between master and slave was broken. The only way to break the connection was through death," she pulled one of Bella's memories forward and held it up to them, "In this memory I witnessed a conversation between Bellatrix and the Dark Lord after the final battle. I thought at first that Voldemort may not have died after all but now that I know what I know…it's clear to me that Voldemort used the potion to cure her of her Magical Insanity Disorder by controlling certain portions of her mind. Once he died the M.I.D came back at full force and plagued her to her final days."

She pulled one of the tapes forward to the front as well.

"Carlos Avery was given the potion after he witness Mulciber rape and torture a young mother and her family," she went on, "He couldn't remember very much of the second war because Voldemort wouldn't let him."

She pulled forward another tape.

"Elmira Zabini had the mark and the potion forced on her when she refused to join either side of the war," she told them quietly, "She did everything she could to protect her son and ended up losing herself in the process."

She turned to Malfoy then with a hard look in her eyes.

"I understand why you kept quiet when your master was walking the earth," she said to him, "What I don't understand is why you didn't come forward once he died."

"Think of how you were in the beginning," Lucius told her, "How obstinate and stubborn you were. You refused to believe that I might just be innocent. Imagine facing that with every human being you came into contact with. Imagine the shame it would bring upon yourself and your family if the world found out that you had let someone control you for the better part of three years. Would you tell the truth?"

"The fact of the matter is Granger," Severus jumped in, "No one would have believed us even if we did tell the truth."

"You knew about this?" She asked him calmly.

"I did," he told her, "Most Death Eaters did. It was our very own dirty little secret. Something everyone knew about but never spoke of."

"Did he ever do it to you?" She asked tentatively.

"No," he said quietly, "I was one of the lucky ones."

"And Rabastan?" She asked, "What about you?"

"I had no idea until today," he told her shakily, "I swear. I was controlled by my sister in law, not by the Dark Lord."

She took in another deep breath, as did the other two Gryffindors in the room. This was not an easy truth to swallow.

"Can you tell me how many were under the Dark Lord's control?" She asked Forster quietly, fearful of the answer.

"I know of at least one hundred and twenty six individuals who were connected to the Dark Lord's mind through my potion," he told her, "I guarantee that if you dig around you'll find many more than that."

"How could he have so many attached to his mind?" Lavender asked incredulously, "He'd go insane!"

"He already was insane," Harry said quietly.

Everyone looked in his direction.

"In my lessons with Dumbledore," he explained, "He told me of things that Voldemort used to do. He hung a rabbit from the rafters, he hurt other children inside a cave…there were also scorch marks on the walls and the carpet looked like it had been ripped to shreds when I saw the first memory of his I went to…he did all this before he was eleven. It makes me wonder…it would definitely makes sense…he would see the signs with Bellatrix easily wouldn't he?"

Hermione closed her eyes.

"He had it too didn't he," she sighed, "M.I.D. Dumbledore always spoke of how powerful he was. But he conquered it somehow before he got to Hogwarts and put his overload of power to bad use. It does make sense."

"You would be surprised how common that condition is Miss Granger," Forster cut in, "Many families try to cover it up and come to me to find ways to cure it. They give up on St Mungo's and start to look at…darker alternatives."

"You said there were a hundred and twenty six Death Eaters that were under Voldemort's control?" Hermione asked and he nodded, "Could you name them all?"

He nodded again.

"Could you give me dates as to when they were taken over?"

He nodded again. She sighed and turned to the others.

"I think this case just got bigger than all of us."

***

She sat in her living room an hour later, her back towards the door as she sat in her favourite chair, gazing at her ceiling. She stared into space, her expression and body calm but for the shaking that seemed to take over her every limb. What she had unearthed had shattered everything that she had believed, everything that she had ever known. Death Eaters were meant to be the criminals, not the victims. They were meant to be the ones who deserved to be behind bars having their souls sucked from their bodies, not the wrongly accused who sat like martyrs in their cells.

"I had a feeling that this would up root you."

She jumped when she heard his voice.

"I thought you had gone back to your hole," she said scathingly. She wasn't happy at being interrupted in her musings.

"Not quite," he said as he came to stand in front of her, that same polite smile on his face as he took his place on her sofa, "There were a few things that I wanted to ask you first."

She stared at him, waiting for Forster to ask what he wanted and then leave.

"How long did it take you to finally believe that Malfoy may be innocent?"

"Too long," she whispered.

"Ah, come now Granger," he said, "You mustn't feel guilty for believing what everyone else believed. It was only natural to be a sheep."

"Thank you so much, I feel loads better," she spat.

"It is not your fault you didn't see the truth," he told her, "You had many things standing in your way."

"Like what exactly?"

"Like your Gryffindor pride," he told her, "You hate admitting you are wrong just as much as you hate _being _wrong."

She glared at him. He really wasn't helping.

"My point," he continued, "Is that you should not feel guilty for something you knew nothing about but feel determined to change something you would have fought against had you known about it at all."

"Since when were you so wise?" She asked.

"I'm an old man," he replied, "I have lived many long years and have seen many things. If I was not wise at this point, I never would be."

There was a small pause between them.

"So what will you do now?" He asked her.

"I'll defend Malfoy as best I can, use all the evidence I've collected and hope like hell the wizarding world will forgive me in time for shattering their views of the world," she told him with a shrug of her shoulders, "There's nothing much else I _can_ do."

"Fair enough," he nodded as he stood once more and gazed at one of the paintings on her wall.

"Did you ever get your victim?"

She turned and stared at him. He looked back at her.

"You came to my shop five years ago for a very malicious intent Hermione," he said to her, "Do not think I would forget about that potion you bought."

She kept her eyes on him the entire time as she placed her hand down her top and pulled up the same dusty vial on a string.

"The opportunity never presented itself," she told him, "Bellatrix was never close enough to me to poison her."

"After the death of Sirius Black I imagine you tried very hard to get it to her," he stated. She nodded.

"She caused too much pain to be allowed to live," she glared at him, "I'm just sad I wasn't the one to deliver the final blow."

"Hmm," her murmured, "I think after what you've found over the past few days you're more _angry_ than sad…but not at Bellatrix. I imagine there is a certain pair of half mooned spectacles you are looking to smash."

She stared up at him for a few moments but then looked away in anger.

"You have to agree with me that there's no way in hell he couldn't have known," she snapped at him, "He knew _everything_ about Voldemort! He knew about his childhood! He knew about his school years! How could he not know about what he was doing to his Death Eaters?"

"I do agree with you," he said as he moved to the doorway, "However you must believe me when I say that you can't smash those glasses now…they're already dead and gone."


	12. Trial number 1349076533219 part one

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the first part of the trial for all those lovely people who have been looking forward to this. I was planning on pushing it back a little bit with a chapter or two of Hermione sulking but then I decided that it would just be torture and it wouldn't get us anywhere so here you go!**

**~VTM**

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* * *

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Chapter Twelve: Trial number 1349076533219 part one

He sat behind his desk with a look of fear in his eyes, his face pale, his body shaking from shock and fright. He took in a shuddering breath as he laid down the letters he had just received and stood from his chair, choosing to pace about his office. This was not good. Not good at all. How could she have found everything so quickly? Who the hell pointed her in the right direction? Surely Lucius wouldn't have been so…his pride would have gotten in the way! And Severus…no, he had kept it a secret too. There's no way he would have told her anything. The Death Eaters had worked so hard to cover up their greatest shame! Why would any of them undo it now?! He looked back down at the letters he had received one more time, just to make sure he wasn't going mad.

_Dear Malfoy_

_Just thought I would let you know that I actually have a case now. Enclosed are my witness list and my evidence list to go with it. I have to say that now your father has given me something to go on I'm actually looking forward to kicking your sorry butt to the curb._

_All the best_

_H.G_

_P.S If I have to wear something nice so do you…Actually no, I think I would prefer it if you didn't wear anything at all._

He read and reread it over and over again. There was no way she could have built a case so quickly! No way what so ever! It was against the laws of nature to be able to work that fast! He quickly ripped open the second envelop she had sent to reveal the witness list she had compiled…

_DEFENCE WITNESSES FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial they will be assisting with.)_

_THE RAPE OF GEORGINA LINDA EVERSTEIN:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Georgina__ Everstein (Victim)_

_THE RAPE OF CRYSTAL CONSWELA CLEARWATER:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Crystal Clearwater (Victim)_

_Dribble (House elf, former Custodian of Gringots Bank)_

_THE RAPE OF MELANIE MIRANDA COOPER:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Melanie Cooper (Victim), assisted by her mother Gwyneth Cooper_

_**All witnesses shall be cross examined for the Defence's case. No new witnesses apply_

Well this wasn't anything he hadn't expected. He knew there wouldn't be any other witnesses for this one and it didn't bother him in the slightest that his witnesses would be cross examined. He would just have to prep them so that she wouldn't find any cracks in his prosecution.

_DEFENCE WITNESSES FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial and the charge they will be assisting with.)_

_MURDER OF MARCUS MATHEW PAUL:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Barnaby Frost (Attending Auror)_

_Andrea Bell (Attending Healer)_

_MURDER OFBARTHOLEMEW FREDERICK BRINDOM:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Gordon Crosby (Attending Auror)_

_Blake Bell (Attending Healer)_

_**Memories of the witness will also be provided as the witness is now deceased_

_MURDER OF COLIN KALVIN CREEVY: Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Cho Chang (Witness to the crime)_

_MURDER OFCONSTANCE CORDELIA BLOOMFIELD:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_MURDER OF ERICA DELORES MASON:_

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Grinbo (Goblin, Manager of Gringots Bank)_

_Thork (Goblin, Financial Advisor at Gringots Bank)_

_Dribble (House elf, former Custodian of Gringots Bank)_

_TORTURE OF AMANDA FREDA PRICE: _

_Lucius Malfoy (Defendant)_

_Alberta__ Price (Mother of victim)_

_Pomona__ Sprout (Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, Witness to the crime)_

_**All witnesses shall be cross examined for the Defence's case. No new witnesses apply_

Once more this was nothing he hadn't expected. In fact, he was starting to feel a little bit better as he read through her lists. They all said the same thing…there were no new witnesses for anything. It was all just cross examination. Maybe she didn't have anything to go on at all…He stood frozen in his place as he finally came across the list that would be his undoing, the list that could quite possibly get his father out of prison…

_DEFENCE WITNESSES FOR TRIAL NUMBER 1349076533219_

_MINISTRY OF MAGIC VERSUS LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY_

_(The following witnesses are ordered in sections according to the portion of the trial they will be assisting with.)_

_DEATH EATER CRIMES AND PARTICIPATION IN ACTS OF TERRORISM:_

_Crispin Forster (Owner of 'Forster Potions' and witness to Defendant's innocence)_

_Severus Snape (Spy for the Order of the Phoenix during the first and second wars, Potions Professor at Hogwarts School, Witness to Defendant's innocence)_

_Narcissa Black nee Malfoy (Ex-wife of Defendant and witness to Defendant's innocence)_

_Blaise Zabini (Former Auror and witness to Defendant's innocence)_

_Carlos Avery (Accused Death Eater coming under the protection of the court, parallel to the Defendant)_

_Draco Malfoy (Magical Law Enforcer, Son of Defendant_

_THOSE WHO WILL BE CROSS EXAMINED FOR THE CHARGE:_

_Ronald Weasley (Quidditch Player, witness to the crime)_

_Arthur Weasley (Former Ministry employee, witness to the crime)_

_Richard Mulciber (Convicted Death Eater)_

**_Alistair Borgin (Owner of Borgin and Burke's)_**

_Rodolphus Lestrange (Convicted Death Eater)_

Draco crumpled the subpoenas and the pieces of parchment that held a death sentence in his hands. He shook from head to toe as angry tears leaked out of his eyes and he roared in frustration and fury. He kicked his desk and his magic took control as his ornaments and pictures and books flew around the room. He couldn't let this happen! He _wouldn't_ let this happen! His father was _not_ getting out of prison!

***

Hermione locked herself away in her office for hours at a time over the next few days. She would wake up early and have breakfast before anyone else had a chance to see her, then she would hide away and pour over case file after case file, arrest warrant after arrest warrant and then she would break briefly for lunch, moving down stairs for all of two minutes to grab a cup of coffee and a sandwich before locking herself away once more. She would then revisit all the memories and conversations she had recorded and go over witness statements and the memories that Rabastan had provided her with concerning his questions for Malfoy's witnesses. She would then re-emerge at exactly six o'clock to join her staff at dinner which Lavender and Harry would always dutifully prepare. Unfortunately for the members of staff she called friends, she would bring her work down with her and eat in silence as she poured over more documents and paper work. Harry had actually tried to take away one of her files once and found himself bound and gagged while Aria put make up on him and dressed him in the cutest, or most disgusting depending on your opinion, pink tutu that any of them had ever seen. Needless to say he had become the butt of every joke that involved fairies, princesses and anything pink. Two days after she had gone into her voluntary prison she decided to drag Rabastan in with her and a day after that Malfoy was soon extracted from the living room and wasn't seen again until the next morning. Needless to say when the date of the trial arrived, Hermione was absolutely exhausted.

She woke up early the next morning as always but this time she wasn't alone. She stared at him for several moments as he stared out the window before she averted her eyes and began to get herself ready. He almost looked like he was lost, as though he had wondered into the wrong room by mistake. She gave a slight frown as she walked over to her closet in nothing but her underwear, completely unabashed by the fact that he could see everything. He seemed to interested in the window anyway.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked him.

"For the better part of half an hour," Lucius replied, "I've been trying to figure out how best to wake you without losing my head."

"There isn't a good way to wake me," she informed him, "You either lose your head or I miss trying to curse it off."

"I see," he muttered. She looked over at him with concern once she had her clothes on. She had decided on a knee length silver dress with a V shaped neckline and no sleeves. She knew that Draco would get a kick out of seeing her in that dress. The last time she had worn it he had beaten her at the most spectacular game of chess and she had thrown an equally spectacular hissy fit over him cheating. She figured that if she was going to out class him that day then she should at least give him something to laugh about while it happened.

However as she looked at the elder Malfoy she saw strings of doubt beginning to form within his silver eyes. She could see that he was already dressed and ready for his trial in his best wizarding robes but they seemed somewhat diminished that day. He had a blank expression on his face that dutifully covered up the doubt and slight fear that was present under the surface as he spoke to her.

"I never thought my day in court would come," he told her quietly, "I always assumed that I would just be thrown into prison and the key to my cell would be swallowed by the nearest dragon."

"Shaklebolt may be a bit of a prick," she told him, "But he's a fair prick. He wouldn't do that to you no matter how many cried out for it. Not to mention you manipulated him rather well to get your day in court."

"Yes, I did pull out all the stops didn't I?" he told her, "But I have to know. Is he a prick that will grant me the freedom I've been craving ever since this war began?"

She knew what war he was talking about. It wasn't the first or the second but the silent one that had been going ever since Bellatrix Lestrange conquered her M.I.D. She had fought through the second war with every bit of strength she possessed, did things that she regretted to that very day and she was still healing just like everyone else. She was one of the unfortunate few who had seen things that would be branded on the inside of her skull forever and had images that would plague her dreams, twisting them and distorting them into hellish nightmares…what kind of nightmares would this war produce? She had used all of her strength to help win the second war, did she have enough recovered now to win a battle for the other side?

"I don't know," she whispered to him, answering herself at the same time, "But what I do know is that I'll use everything I have. I'll pull out every trick in the book to see you out of prison. If the past week has taught me anything it's that Voldemort did a lot more than wipe out half the population…he destroyed an entire generation's chance at life. It's time to make everyone else see that they weren't the only victims."

"You could be killed for this," he told her.

"I know," she said back, "But if I die you can guarantee that Shaklebolt will never sleep another wink."

"Why is that?"

"I'll haunt him for the rest of his days and make such noise that sleep will become a distant memory."

She actually saw the faint outline of a smirk on his anguished face as she stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"One thing you will have to know though is that I'm going to have to do some manipulation of my own to win this," she told him, "I may have to manipulate you too."

"Do what you must," he told her before they walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs where the rest of the household was waiting for them. Lavender offered her a warm smile, Severus went instantly to Lucius' side, Rabastan gave her a nervous grin and Harry stood up and gave her a hug.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Not in the slightest," she muttered.

"It'll all work out," Lavender told them, "We're in the right here. We have to have faith in the system."

"The system is what got us here in the first place," Severus drawled.

"Then we have faith in our own abilities," Hermione told them, "If we can't trust anyone else then we trust in each other."

Harry and Lavender gave her confident nods where as the three Slytherins just stared. They looked as though they had never heard the word 'trust' before.

"Where's Aria?" Hermione asked Rabastan.

"She's still asleep," he told her, "She won't wake up until we come back. She wore herself out planning her next attack on Potter. Oh I can't _wait_ to see you in that tiara she transfigured for you!"

Harry scowled but said nothing as some laughter broke out. It was what they needed, something to laugh about. Just a little something to remind them that tomorrow was another day and that there was still time on their side.

"Come on," Hermione said to them, "Let's go and change the world."

They stepped into the fireplace in twos, Harry and Severus first as a security measure, Lavender and Rabastan went next and Hermione and Lucius were left standing alone once more inside her living room. For the first time since she had known him he looked unstable, taking in deep breaths to keep himself calm. To an untrained eye he would simply look as though he was taking breaths of pride, that he was standing as strong as ever, his cane in his left hand and a scowl on his face. But she could see through it now that she had decided to pay attention, now that she wanted to look. Though he would never admit it…he was scared.

"Mr Malfoy," she said quietly as she walked over to him. He looked up at her.

"Are _you_ ready for this?"

"No," he said simply, "But years of training in the art of deceit will make it appear that I am."

She gave him a quick nod before taking his offered arm and stepping into the fireplace. The scene was just as catastrophic as she feared. Curses were flying, reporters were trying to dig into the crowd that was being held back by the Aurors and there was general chaos around them. Hermione gripped Lucius tighter and lead him through the atrium, keeping him as far away from the public as possible. It was then the reporters finally came forward.

"Miss Granger, what prompted you to betray your country?"

"Has he confounded you?"

"Mr Malfoy how have you swindled this poor girl into taking your case?"

Hermione was about to turn around and tell the last reporter to sod off when one last yell came from the crowd.

"DEATH EATER BASTARD!"

A potion was thrown in their general direction. Hermione immediately pushed Malfoy out of the way and conjured the strongest shield she could muster. The potion collided with her magic and it exploded, flames ricocheting off the surface. There were a few screams as everyone ducked to avoid it and Hermione turned her scowl on the man who had thrown the potion. She shot the worst hex she could think of at him before immobilizing him and then turned her attention to the general public. They were terrified by her expression of ice and anger. The man lay on the floor some yards away with festering boils and sores springing up all over his skin.

"I am protected under article two point four of Wizarding Law which states that I must protect my client in any way possible," she said to all of them clearly, "If any of you so much as come _near_ him again I will do a lot more than give you a few blemishes."

With that, she turned her back on them and stood inside the elevator where the others were looking at her strangely. She turned back to Malfoy and offered him her hand.

"You alright?" She asked. He gave her a nod, took her hand and stood up straight once more.

"I could have deflected that myself you know," he told her.

"_I_ know," she said simply, "However it's better if _they_ don't."

He gave a nod.

The others stared.

They stood side by side with Harry and Severus in front of them and Lavender and Rabastan behind as the doors to the Department of Mysteries opened. They moved swiftly even though the halls were relatively deserted, fearing another attack. Hermione held on to Lucius, ready to pull him out of the way at any moment and he didn't seem to struggle against her in the slightest. She got a wave of déjà vu as they walked, remembering how he was the night she took him home, how he did everything he was told without the slightest piece of resistance. Once more it was strange to have him bend to her will but this time around it felt just that little bit more familiar. He had no reason not to trust her now and she had no reason to turn him away. Regardless of what she thought of him, how much she still disliked him…he was a victim just as much as she had been once. They entered court room nine with slight hesitation as the stands filled with the media and general spectators. Hermione saw the entire Weasley family sitting there together with mingled expressions on their faces. Molly was wearing a scowl that would have scared Voldemort to death. Ron looked slightly scared to be there. He really shouldn't have been. After all, his day for trial wasn't going to be for a while. George and Angelina sat there looking neutral and Bill and Fleur averted their eyes from the trial entirely. Charlie was even there which surprised her. He gave her a kind smile as they walked in, a sort of "sorry about the family" smile. She returned it gratefully with a "it's ok, I know they love me really" look. Arthur kept his eyes on Malfoy the entire time and didn't bother to acknowledge Hermione's presence. He had a contemplative scowl on his face as he saw their connected arms. Perhaps he was coming around? Ginny appeared to be doing the same. She looked from Hermione to Malfoy and then over to her husband who was standing rather close to Malfoy and not looking at all worried about their proximity. Surely she would understand that Harry wouldn't do this unless there was a reason?

Hermione also saw various other faces as she looked up at the spectators. Rita Skeeter sat with her quick quotes quill at the ready. It appeared that Blaise and Narcissa had turned up to witness the first days of trial as well. She smiled at their secretly intertwined hands. With a bit of a shock she registered Crispin Forster's presence at the very back as he sat in the shadows with Borgin and Burke. She had a feeling that if Carlos wasn't going to be caught, he would have arrived early too. The entire wizarding world was interested to see how this trial went for one reason or another. Some wanted to see Malfoy burn…very few others wanted to see him get off…and some just wanted to see the two most respected Law Enforcers go head to head for the first time since their careers began. Either way, there was always a reason.

"Order! This court is now in session!"

Every head now turned to the front where the Wizenagmot stands were now completely full. Kingsley stood as everyone found their seats and only Hermione and Draco were left standing at the edge of their benches with their staff behind them and Hermione's client beside her.

"This day here by marks the beginning of trial 1349076533219 the Ministry of Magic versus Lucius Abraxus Malfoy," Kingsley began, "Because there are so many charges to get through this shall be a rather unorthodox trial. We shall start from the most serious of the individual charges such as Rape, Murder and Torture and move down until we reach the serious group charge of Death Eater Activities and Terrorism. How does the defendant plead to the three counts of rape?"

"Not guilty, Minister," Lucius answered plainly. There was some stirring amongst the crowd.

"How does the defendant plead to the six counts of murder including the torture of Amanda Price?"

"Not guilty, Minister," Lucius repeated. More stirring occurred.

"How does the defendant plead to the charge of hippogriff theft?"

"Not guilty, Minister."

"How does the defendant plead to the many charges of Death Eater Activities and Terrorism?"

"Not guilty, Minister."

There was an absolute uproar. Shouts of "Liar!" and "Murderer!" and "Bastard!" could be heard from miles away, the Weasleys being chief among them excepting Charlie who was shaking his head, Ginny who was still staring at Malfoy and Arthur who was trying to control his wife but failing miserably. Hermione instinctively placed herself slightly in front of Lucius and she saw Severus draw his wand out of the corner of her eye. The sound of Kingsley's hammer came down upon them and his voice boomed over the crowd.

"If the spectators of this court can not control themselves they shall be removed!" He yelled as the crowd fell silent, "Understand this! The only reason you are here is because the wizarding world has a right to know about the outcome of this trial however if you continue to interrupt, that right shall be removed!"

Hermione had to admire the command in his voice. No one so much as blinked after that.

"I now open the floor to Magical Law Enforcers Draco Hyperion Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger for opening statements of this trial," Kingsley said to them calmly, "We shall then resume tomorrow morning at eight. Mr Malfoy, I offer you the chance to start."

"Thank you Minister," Draco said as he moved out from the bench and Hermione sat down. Draco grabbed several pictures that he had placed in front of him at the beginning and looked at them as he walked around the room. They were pictures of the victims, gruesome shots of their final moments or their darkest memories, things that they would rather forget than have shown to the rest of the world.

"Do you see these people?" He asked them quietly as he showed them the pictures, "Do you _really_ see them? Melanie Cooper had her whole life ahead of her until she was brutally raped and left to die at the age of seven. Amanda Price was once a loving mother and wife until she was tortured into insanity. Colin Creevy led a quirky, full life before it was destroyed by two simple words. It's disgusting what happened to these people…and many others. They hadn't done anything wrong, they were completely innocent and yet they were the ones who got the short end of the wand. Why? Because _that man_," he pointed at his father, "Felt that they should suffer for _his _lord. _He_ did this to them. _He_ decided that they had to be sacrificed. He is cold, manipulative, calculating and above all, dangerous. If you have any sense of sanity at all, any decency about you what so ever you will _not _let him walk free from this room. After you've seen the evidence that I will present to you over the duration of this trial you will agree that it's not safe to have him walking these streets or wandering freely where your loved ones are exposed to him and his dark and twisted mind. He is a danger to you, he is a danger to me, and he could become a danger to everyone you care about if _you_ let him. He's even a danger to his own Law Enforcer! I wouldn't put it past him to throw a few punches her way. Now now, I know what you're thinking. She's Hermione Granger! A war hero! Smartest witch of her age! She couldn't possibly be hurt by a weak, wandless Lucius Malfoy! Well, I think it's only fair to let you know that he's gotten to her in the past and is quite capable of doing it again. She may be willing to go through it, all the pain and the hardship but I'm not willing to let her be dragged down by my vile father's name. You, of the Wizenagmot should not be willing to let her be destroyed by this monster and if you have any compassion at all, you'll help me put this animal back in his cage where he belongs."

He walked back to his seat and sat down once more leaving the court in a stir again. Hermione gaped at him in disbelief. Was he really going to play that card again? She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Rabastan shaking his head.

"Stick to the plan Granger," he told her softly. She let out a sigh and nodded. Now was not the time to lose her cool. She didn't bother to look at Malfoy, already knowing that he was smirking in her general direction. She stood from her seat and the court went silent.

"The floor is now open to Hermione Granger for the Defence," Kingsley stated. She bowed her head to him and began to walk the same path Draco did.

"About two weeks ago," she said calmly, softly, "When I had this case forced on me by the Minister for Magic," there where whispers from the outsiders at her words, "I was very much of the same opinion as the prosecution. I believed that Lucius Malfoy was a murderer, a rapist, a child molester and a Death Eater, just like you do now. After all the things I had seen him do and the things I had heard him say…how could I not? I had been petrified by a Basilisk that he had helped release, I had almost been cursed by him in this very department and I had been tortured in his home all before the age of twenty. Then again, being the best friend of Harry Potter does have its draw backs," there was a small laugh from the crowd, "But you see, there are a few things about Lucius Malfoy that you have to know. In fact there are a few things you have to know about most of Lord Voldemort's," a collective shudder from the crowd, "Inner circle. You see, over the past two weeks I've been on a mission to try and find a way to defend the man that now sits at my right side in this court room. I'm very relieved to say that I've now found it. Ladies, gentlemen, please! I know it sounds impossible but hear me out! I thought it was ridiculous too. I thought there was no way in hell that he could be innocent…but I was wrong. I thought that he was the vilest evil creature next to Voldemort that I would ever see…but I was wrong. I thought that I would never find myself in a more horrible position, having to defend someone that I could never trust or feel sorry for or ever feel any kind of compassion for but once more…I was completely and utterly wrong. It took me so long to figure out what was really going on around me, so long to finally realise the truth. You, the Wizenagmot, not only have Lucius Malfoy's life in your hands but as you will discover during the length of this trial, you now hold the lives of many others also. I had plenty of time to reconcile myself with the fact that everything I believed was a lie but you will not have that luxury. I must ask you to please, _please_, keep your minds open to what we have to present…and also consider the fact that no one is infallible."

She sat back in her chair once more and bowed her head to a silent court room. She felt the eyes of the Weasleys on her and felt Harry's hand on her shoulder before she looked up at the Wizenagmot and breathed. Each and everyone of them shared the same expression of curiosity. They had all seen how she had acted at the first hearing, how she had been blatantly against defending Lucius Malfoy and now she was standing there fighting for his life with all her might. It seemed to register on their faces that something had changed, that there was more to this than met the eye.

"This court is now adjourned until eight o'clock tomorrow morning where the rape of Georgina Everstein shall be addressed," Kingsley informed them, hitting his hammer once more before standing with the rest of the Wizenagmot and moving out of the court room. Chatter erupted once more from the bystanders and Hermione breathed more easily now that the hardest bit was over. She and the others stood together as Draco came over to address her.

"Nice speech," he said quietly, "I like the dress better though."

"I thought you might," she said with a slight smirk. She then noticed that Draco's eyes lingered on the man behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know that Lucius was looking at Draco too. She could feel an underlying tension between them that was completely inevitable and yet completely unnecessary. She had to remind herself that as far as she knew, Draco knew nothing of what Lucius and some of the others had been through. She turned back to Harry and Severus.

"Take everyone home will you?" She asked them, "I have a few things to sort out before I leave."

Harry looked at Severus and Severus looked at Harry. They nodded to each other and Harry left with the others while Severus stayed behind. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I can look after myself," she told him.

"There are more of them than there are of you," he told her, "At least with me here things are even…which is more than I can say for Potter. He didn't even try to deflect that potion."

"You didn't either."

"I wasn't in a position to do so," he told her simply. She rolled her eyes again and then turned back to Draco.

"I trust that you got my letter?" She asked him.

"Yes though I wasn't at all inclined to follow your suggestion of attire," he told her, his eyes following his father out the door, "But your witnesses are duly noted and I will be questioning them at my earliest convenience. One question though. How could I possibly help your case?"

"Having you up there is more for _your_ benefit than my client's," she told him, "That and my own entertainment."

Draco rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to get anything out of her.

"See you at eight tomorrow then," he said as he walked away back to his own team. Hermione turned back to Severus for all of five seconds when she spotted the mob of red heads coming her way.

"Shit," she cursed, "Get me out of here now."

Severus just smirked.

"I think I want to see this."

She glared at him.

"You're evil."

"I know."

Molly stopped right in front of her with that same scowl she had been wearing all through the opening statements. Hermione was a little anxious but she held her ground.

"You heard what I said," she told her, "I have no choice in this."

"You have many choices in this," Molly said to her coldly, "And one of them is throwing the case like you ought to! You know damn well how wrong this is and-"

"No," Hermione said firmly, "What's wrong is the fact that you and everyone else in this world is so ignorant and arrogant that you won't even hear what he has to say."

Molly stared at her, red faced and angry.

"I am a tolerant woman Hermione," she whispered angrily, "But one thing I will not tolerate is disloyalty. You have blatantly gone out and betrayed your country and this family and I will not have it!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You don't frighten me Molly," she told her, "You don't have me under your thumb like you do the rest of your family. If you don't like what I'm doing then stay away from me. It's your loss if you decide to excommunicate me, not mine."

Arthur suddenly stepped forward when he saw Molly turning a bright maroon. He stepped in front of her and told her to turn around before she did something she would regret in the morning. Molly reluctantly listened and beckoned her family to go with her. Ginny and Arthur stayed behind.

"He almost killed me Hermione," Ginny told her quietly, "Please don't tell me you've forgotten about that."

"I haven't Ginny," she whispered as they embraced, "I wouldn't be defending him if I thought…"

"I know," she whispered back, "But until you show me some proof…"

"I know," Hermione said to her.

"Just look after my husband ok?" Ginny laughed, "I know he's supposed to be looking after you but-"

"Yeah," Hermione smiled, "I know exactly what you mean."

She then turned back to Arthur.

"I want to know what you know," he said.

"I can't tell you," she told him simply, "You're one of Malfoy's witnesses."

"I'll get out of it."

"He'll just get a court order to have you take the stand," she told him.

"I know you have proof," he stated, "I know you have proof that he's innocent."

She scrutinized him for a few moments, her brow furrowing.

"How?" She asked him.

"Just by the way you were talking about him Hermione," he told her, "You're right. You wouldn't defend him with all you've got if you believed he was guilty."

She continued to scrutinize him but did not refute his statement.

"All the same," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I can't tell you anything."

He looked for a moment as though he would argue further but said nothing more when Ginny touched his arm too.

"Come on," she said, "Mum'll explode if we stay here too long."

Reluctantly they walked away together and left Hermione and Severus standing there watching their retreating backs.

"That was…" Severus began.

"Odd," Hermione finished for him before they began to move to the exit to, "Come on. We have an early start tomorrow."


	13. Trial number 1349076533219 part two

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the next chapter. It's rather long because I'm not quite sure when the next chapter will be up. Also, just so you know, because there are so many charges you will probably only catch glimpses of the trials otherwise I'll lose track of where I am and you might not get to see any Hermione/Lucius until the end!  
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**Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Thirteen: Trial number 1349076533219 part two

"Please describe the attack."

Georgina Everstein sat in the witness chair, her skin pale as she trembled in fright and her long blond hair cascading over her ordinary grey robes as her somewhat dimmed blue eyes looked over to Draco Malfoy and the Wizenagmot. She flickered her attention to Lucius for a second who avoided her gaze. Hermione was digging her nails into his leg under the table to keep him from staring her down.

"I-I was walking through Hogsmeade," she stuttered, "Doing my Christmas shopping for that year-"

"1997?" Draco asked softly.

"Yes," she nodded, "I was getting my son some things from Zonko's. He always liked the fireworks there. I was moving along in the busy street when I felt someone bump into me. I figured it was just a passer by trying to get into the Three Broomsticks so I continued on…but after that…I felt someone's wand in my back."

"Who was it?" Draco asked.

"Lucius Malfoy," the crowd in the stands murmured in ascent, unsurprised by her accusation. There was a small pause in which Draco stepped forward with a consoling look on his face.

"I know its hard Miss Everstein," he whispered to her, "But could you please tell us what happened next."

"I stopped dead in the middle of the road, prepared to scream my lungs out," she told him, "I had read the ministry pamphlets that had come out in 1996 and I knew what to do but he poked his wand further into my back and told me that if I screamed I would suffer more than what I was about to."

"So what did you do?" Draco asked.

"I complied," she sniffed, tears leaking out of her eyes now, "I held in my scream and walked up the stone path he led me. The entire time I was praying for someone to notice what was going on…and I think some did but…they couldn't even meet my eyes. They just _stood _there or _walked _by as though nothing was wrong. They could all see his face, they all knew what was going to…"

She dissolved into tears from there and Draco waited for her to calm herself once more. She sniffed slightly and lifted her head to face him again.

"_I_ knew," she whispered, "_I knew_ what was going to happen next," she sobbed once more, "Once we got far enough up the path we-we came across a cave and…that was where he took me."

Her tears flooded her eyes and Draco knew she couldn't go on from there. To ask her to recollect the entire ordeal would be entirely too cruel. He bowed his head for a moment and then looked up at her again.

"Thank you very much Miss Everstein," he said, "I understand that this must have been very hard for you."

With that he went back to his chair.

"Miss Granger," Kingsley addressed her, "You have chosen to cross examine this witness?"

"Yes Minister," Hermione told him as she slowly let go of Lucius' leg and he gave a glare to her. She just smirked at him and then turned back to Miss Everstein. She was still sobbing hysterically. She looked over to Kingsley, holding up a tissue.

"May I?" She asked him. He gave her a nod. Hermione walked over to her and placed the tissue in her hand. She gave a consoling smile to the witch and was rewarded with another sob. Hermione then returned to the middle of the floor. She knew this was going to be hard.

"Miss Everstein," she said quietly, "I must first tell you that I very much agree with Mr Malfoy. You are being very brave by testifying today."

"Thank you," she sniffed.

"You said that you felt someone's wand in your back whilst you were walking through Hogsmeade, correct?" Hermione asked her.

She nodded.

"Did you see your attacker's face when this happened?"

She stopped sobbing for a bit and looked at Hermione.

"N-no."

Hermione became a bit firmer with her.

"When you were in the cave…when this despicable being took everything you had…Did you see his face then?"

"I-it was dark in the cave," she said, still sobbing but defensive, "And he…he was behind me."

"No one is denying that what happened to you was inexcusable and horrendous and the one responsible should have their soul sucked from their body immediately," she said to the woman, "Be reassured that my intent today is not to discredit you in anyway."

"Thank you," she sobbed again, being lulled into a false sense of security. It was then that she struck. Hermione drew herself to full height and stared the woman firmly in the eyes, using every ounce of power that she had been restraining from Lucius.

"My intent," she said, "Is to defend my client. I want you to answer my question truthfully and honestly Miss Everstein. I will choose this moment to remind you that you are under oath."

Georgina looked slightly taken aback if not a little frightened. Hermione walked over to her chair.

"If you did not see his face," she said, "How did you recognise Mr Malfoy? Is it perhaps that his was the first name you reached for?"

"No," she whispered.

"Or maybe you have some vendetta-"

"No," she shook her head.

"Perhaps you thought he was the one who got you fired the previous year-"

"How do you know about that?" She asked, shocked by the statement.

"A good enforcer always does her research," Hermione told her, "Mr Malfoy held shares in the company you worked for at the time. He constantly made visits to the establishment. Had you ever come in contact with him before?"

"Objection," Malfoy suddenly stood, "Where is this going?"

"Overruled Mr Malfoy," Kingsley told him, "Answer the question Miss Everstein."

"O-only in passing," she sniffed, "I-I served him coffee once at one of the board meetings."

"Did he harass you there at all?" Hermione asked her.

"N-no."

"Did he show any interest in you at all?"

"I-I don't think so."

"Did he give any indication what so ever that he was looking for intercourse anywhere else other than his wife, who was sitting at home waiting for him at the end of every day?"

"No."

"Then how-"

"I HEARD HIS VOICE!" She suddenly broke, "I heard his voice as he-when he…he told me to stop fighting him….he-he told me to open my legs like a good mudblood bitch and keep my head on the floor where it belonged!"

Hermione stared at her for a few moments, a look of indecision in her eyes. The witness broke into further sobs when she had finished screaming and the crowd took over her anger. They yelled very much in the same way as they had the day before, screaming derogatory language and general noises of outrage. Hermione turned her eyes to Lucius who was looking straight at her. There was no deception there, no hiding of the truth or attempt to dissuade her from the path she was on. She took it at face value and looked to Kingsley when the audience was quiet once more.

"Minister I would request assistance from my second chair, Mr Lestrange?" She asked.

"Granted."

Rabastan stood from his chair and walked over to her, his face puzzled. This was not in the plan they had formulated.

"Mr Lestrange if you would please stand in the middle of the room," he did as he was told, "Now please speak a simple sentence."

"Like what?" He asked.

"Gryffindor rules!" Someone shouted out from the crowd. Rabastan looked taken aback. He looked over at Hermione who gave him the go ahead. He silently pleaded with her but she just shook her head and gestured him to do so.

He gave a sigh and a glare and said clearly for the whole room to hear, "Gryffindor rules."

There were some giggles from the crowd but they silenced once Hermione drew her wand. She pointed it at Rabastan, silently cast a spell and replaced her wand back inside its holster once more.

"Speak again for us please," she said, "The same sentence if you will."

"Are you kidding Granger? I can't say that twice in one day!"

The crowd gasped as they realised what she had done. Rabastan placed his hands over his mouth in shock and Lucius raised an eyebrow at her. She turned swiftly to Georgina who had stopped crying and was staring at Rabastan blankly.

"Miss Everstein," Hermione said to her calmly, "Please tell the Wizenagmot what I just did."

She swallowed, her eyes still on Rabastan, but she did not speak. Hermione looked over to Kingsley.

"The witness will answer the question," Kingsley said firmly.

"She changed his voice," she said quietly.

"Whose voice was it you heard?" Hermione asked.

Georgina was silent again.

"Miss Everstein?"

"Malfoy's."

"Was it all that complicated to change it?"

"No."

"Your youngest son, how old is he?"

"Eleven."

"And is he able to do this?"

Georgina stared.

"Miss Everstein, I remind you that you are still under oath and obligation to this courtroom," Hermione said sternly.

"Yes," she finally answered. Hermione turned away from her and began to walk around the courtroom.

"If Miss Everstein's eleven year old son is able to change the sound of his voice through a simple spell taught to all Hogwarts children," Hermione said clearly for everyone to hear, "What is to stop one grown man from framing another with its use? I do not deny Miss Everstein's case. I do not deny that what was done to her was monstrous; but after what I have just proven to you here today…you can not lock Lucius Malfoy away for it. There's more reasonable doubt in this charge than there is hair on my head."

She walked silently over to her bench and sat next to Lucius once more. He looked to her for the barest of moments before looking away to the stand where Georgina sat shivering in her seat. She looked directly at him. Hermione thought for a few moments that she may have to pinch the hell out of him again but as she gazed at him she realised that his eyes had lost their cold hardened glare. He stared at Miss Everstein with honesty and openness, something that this woman had probably not received since her attack. She looked away after a few moments and moved as quickly as possible once she was told that she could step down.

"We shall break for lunch and will come back at one so that Mr Malfoy may take the stand," Kingsley said, banging his mallet. Hermione and the others stood quickly and moved through the atrium before anyone else could get there to threaten them or throw something in their path. Once they were inside the lounge, Hermione immediately set to work while the others prepared a light meal. She summoned her files and books from her office and gestured for Malfoy to sit next to her.

"When you take the stand," she told him, "You need to drop your old habits."

He stared at her.

"Like what?" He asked.

"I was clawing the hell out of your leg for a reason, Malfoy," she told him, "You were going to intimidate Miss Everstein every time she looked at you."

"I was simply going to silently remind her that she had to tell the truth," he generalized. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You were staring her down," she said tiredly, "You can't do that here."

"Why not?" He asked, "I've always found it to be an effective tool for getting people to tell the truth."

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Ninety percent of this case relies on your _behaviour_ at the trial, not the evidence," she told him for what seemed like the millionth time, "The Wizenagmot and the general public are watching your every move. The outcome of this trial is completely reliant upon the Wizenagmot's impression of you. If they see you as a cold hearted Death Eater, staring down everyone in sight-"

"So what you are saying is that I need to show remorse for what I've _not_ done?" He asked slowly, "What you are saying is that I must be sorry for things that were _not_ my doing?"

"No," she said firmly, "What I am saying is that you must show humility and empathy towards those who claim to be your victims. What I am saying is that you must dig into that icicle that sits in your chest and show some emotion for those who think they have been wronged by you. You need to show them that you _do_ have understanding inside you, that the Dark Lord didn't erase all traces of humanity from you. I'm not asking you to go up and give them a great big hug, I'm asking you to show just a little compassion for those who are hurting."

Grudgingly he nodded and Hermione sighed. It was becoming evident that his patience was wearing thin. He had been nothing but compliant since the day he got there. It wouldn't be long before she would have to lock him up in chains again just to get him to do what she wanted.

"Good," she said as the others came back with sandwiches and tea, "Now that that's sorted we should move on."

"Agreed," Severus said as he walked in and then looked at Rabastan, "Aria is upstairs studying the text books I gave her. She should be busy until dinner."

Rabastan gave a nod before turning back to Lucius.

"Draco is more than likely going to try and break you while you're up there," he said, "He's going to pour on as much emotional guilt as possible to get you to crack."

"What he probably doesn't understand is the fact that I've been pouring emotional guilt on you since the beginning," Hermione interrupted him, "We all know that you won't cave. What you might do though is get angry."

"And why would I do that?" Lucius asked, "He's my son."

"He's your son," Hermione agreed, "And after what I just did he's going to be desperate. He really wants to win this. He is going to pull out all the stops and there is only so much we can do while we're in there. Rabastan and I will keep him from badgering you too much but there's only so much that the Wizenagmot will not allow when it comes to you."

"What should I do then?" He asked.

"If you are told to answer the question then answer as honestly as possible without giving away our entire defence," Hermione told him, "Just stick to the alibi you gave me and don't reveal anything more. That will have to come in later."

"Surely it would be best to give them everything in one go," Severus said, "Like ripping off a band aid."

"No," Hermione said bluntly, "It's one thing to tell them that _one_ Death Eater is innocent. It's completely another to tell them that half of them were innocent and half of those that were innocent are now dead by their hands. We need to warm them up to the idea before we blatantly tell them that they've been wrong or you can guarantee that they'll think we're lying. This has to be done with patience."

***

"Where were you on December 22nd 1997?"

Lucius sat there on the stand, the perfect mixture of composure and anguish as his son walked around the room with case files in his hands and Hermione sat on the opposite side of the room, ready to pounce on any of Draco's mistakes.

"I was at home for the day," Lucius told him, "I had been spending more and more time around the manor ever since the Dark Lord took over."

"Do you have anyone who can vouch for this?" Draco asked, "I personally don't remember seeing you until _after_ Christmas."

"No," he said simply, "I spent most of my time in my study."

"Why?"

"I was hiding in shame," he said simply, "Hoping that the Dark Lord would not ask me to attend any meetings or put me on a mission."

"Come now Lucius," Draco said condescendingly, "We all know what you're _really_ like. Hiding in shame is not what Malfoy's do. If you taught me anything it was that-"

"Objection!" Rabastan stood, "Relevance?"

"I'm simply showing that hiding is out of Mr Malfoy's character," Draco amended.

"Sustained," Shacklebolt said, "Rephrase your question Mr Malfoy."

"What could you possibly want to hide for?" Draco asked Lucius, "You were one of the Dark Lord's utmost favourites. He trusted you implicitly."

"I did not wish to follow him any longer," Lucius told them, "By the time the Dark Lord had taken over the Ministry my soul concern was for that of my family."

"If your soul concern was for that of your family then why did I end up beside the Dark Lord when he tortured-"

"Objection!" Hermione yelled, clearly peeved, "Again, relevance?"

"Withdrawn," Draco said, "So let me get this straight. You were hiding inside your own home?"

"Correct."

"From the Dark Lord?"

"Yes."

"Where no one could find you?"

"That's correct."

"Not even your own family who were your soul concern at the time?"

"Yes."

Draco gave a pointed look to the Wizenagmot, some of which were looking pointedly back at him before he turned around and went back to his seat.

"No further questions," he said before slipping back into his chair. Hermione looked at him closely as she got up from her own seat. He was pale and drawn already and the case had only started yesterday. It was already taking its toll on him and she distantly wondered how long he would last. She stopped gazing at him however and began to concentrate on her job again.

"Mr Malfoy," she said as she approached him, "You are innocent of this crime, yes?"

"Objection!" Draco suddenly jumped up.

"I'll rephrase," Hermione told them, "You _claim_ innocence to this crime?"

"Yes I do," he answered.

"Tell me," she said, "If you are innocent…who do you believe is responsible?"

Lucius bowed his head in thought for a moment. Hermione couldn't help but think that it was a nice touch.

"There was a man who was riddled with jealousy through out the Dark Lord's return between 1995 and 1998," Lucius told her, "Although the Dark Lord valued him somewhat he was never given a mark and never praised for the work he did. The Dark Lord told me himself one night that he considered him to be scum on the bottom of his shoe, no more important than a pawn in a game of chess."

"Who was this man?" Hermione asked him.

"The werewolf Finnier Greyback."

The crowd gave a slight gasp and collapsed into whispered chatter. Hermione could have sworn she heard someone say "he must be lying!" somewhere in the crowd.

"He tried to frame several members of the inner circle during 1996 and 1997," Lucius continued, "Myself included…even though I was in prison at the time. He had McNair accused of several assults which he could not lay claim too, he made sure that Yaxley was put away for several torturings before he went away himself and I'm sure that he is responsible for at least six of Rodolphus Lestrange's one hundred and ten murders. He was also not particularly fond of Bellatrix Lestrange either. He was constantly trying to get her to fall out of favour with the Dark Lord so that he could take her place…it was an impossible task."

"Did Finnier Greyback ever perform magic whilst he was inside your manor?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes," he nodded, "He was still capable of minor magic even though he preferred not to use it."

"Did he have access to Polyjuice potion at all?"

"Severus delivered potions to us daily from Hogwarts," Lucius informed her, "I'm sure that among them there was some Polyjuice."

"Miss Everstein says that she heard your voice telling her to, and I quote, "open her legs like a good mudblood bitch and keep her head on the floor where it belonged". Would you ever say anything like this?"

He shook his head.

"No," he said, "I am guilty of saying and doing many things through out my life but this is not one of them."

"Did you ever say anything like this to your wife, Narcissa Black?" She asked him.

"No," he told her, "I would never degrade my spouse in such a way. It goes against…how I was brought up."

His eyes wondered over to where Narcissa was sitting. She was smiling softly at him and nodding her head in agreement. Hermione had to try and fight back a smile when he refrained from using the 'P' word.

"What about during sexual intercourse?" Hermione asked, "Things never got a bit heated? You never got carried away?"

He gave a bored glare to her.

"No," he said simply and she gave him a small smirk, "If you wished to know what I was like in bed Miss Granger, you didn't have to wait until I was under oath to ask."

She gave a soft chuckle, showing everyone that she was not offended by his comment. Some looked at her rather strangely, others glared and some were trying not to laugh along with her. Lucius was among those who looked at her strangely. It was clear to her that he had let it slip out unintentionally and was puzzled by her reaction.

"No further questions," she chuckled as she moved back over to her seat, the eyes of the courtroom following her as she went.

"Would Mr Malfoy like to redirect?" Kingsley asked Draco. Draco shook his head, "Then Mr Malfoy may step down. Court will reconvene next tomorrow to address the rape of Miss Crystal Clearwater. Adjourned."

Lucius moved quickly from the stand and walked directly over to Hermione who was still smiling at him.

"May I inquire as to the meaning of your laughter?" He asked.

"Just because_ I_ say that I believe you, that doesn't mean that everyone will _believe_ that I believe you," she told him quietly, linking her arm with his, "The Wizenagmot would not put it past me to lie about trusting you just to get you off the charges. I've been known to do it in the past. If I show that I am not offended by your brash sense of humour or if I show that I am comfortable enough around you to let you touch me or laugh with you then I am showing that I trust you."

"And do you trust me?" He asked her.

"Not in the slightest," she smiled, "But I do believe you."

"Is there a difference?"

"A very big difference."

They walked outside hurriedly into the lifts and then into the atrium, far ahead of the crowd with Severus in front and Harry at the rear. Those two had become really good at working together. She could only wonder how well Harry would have gone during school if they had had this understanding before.

"What is the plan for Miss Clearwater?" Lucius asked her, slightly tight lipped and restrained, "You know my thoughts on this one."

"Oh I think it's very safe to say that we'll have a lot of fun with her tomorrow."

***

"Please describe the attack."

Hermione and Lucius sat together once more as they watched the young extravagant form of Miss Crystal Clearwater pretend to blubber all over the stand. Hermione herself was having a hard time controlling herself as she watched the woman pretend. To untrained eyes she would simply look distraught. To that of Hermione Granger, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape…she was a fraud. The tears were faked, the shakes were horribly done and her voice was at completely the wrong pitch for what she was describing.

"Well," she sniffed, almost smiling for the fact that her picture was being taken by the photographer from the _Daily Prophet_ near by, "I had been having an affair with Lucius Malfoy for quite some time."

The crowd gasped and murmured around them. Lucius rolled his eyes and Hermione stood on his foot, not so subtly reminding him of the role he had to play. He glared at her before slipping back into his anguished composure from the day before. Hermione then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Lavender had just exited the court room with her phone to her ear.

"When had this affair started?" Draco asked Clearwater, not showing any signs of surprise at all. No doubt he had heard this numerous times over the course of his preparation period and he was past shock…either that or he knew she was lying too.

"Back in 1992," she said, fanning herself as she began to cry again, "I was in a loveless relationship and he…he wasn't happy with the sex life in his marriage."

Hermione pinched Lucius once more as he showed signs of rolling his eyes again.

"What happened on the 7th of July 1996?" Draco asked her.

"I told him that I had found someone that I was in love with," she said to him, "Someone I really loved and that I couldn't continue the charade we were pulling. I told him to go back to his wife and teach her the things that I used to do for him and then maybe he would be happy. He didn't like this very much. He yelled at me, said that I was his and that I wasn't going anywhere. That was when he apparated us to the manor and then he raped me."

"Please let me roll my eyes now," Lucius whispered to her, "It's so obviously fake!"

"No," Hermione whispered back, "Show some bloody compassion."

"Not to this woman," he hissed.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll deal to her soon enough."

He gave a grumble but said nothing more as Draco continued.

"During the time that you were engaged in the affair," he said, "Did he ever speak derogatory language to you?"

"Like what?" Clearwater asked him.

"For instance what Miss Everstein reported yesterday," Draco elaborated, "Did he ever call you a mudblood or command you to do something?"

"Oh yes all the time," Clearwater told him, "That was the primary basis of why he wasn't happy with his wife. She wouldn't let him dominate her like I did. She always had to have it her way and to him it was incredibly boring. If it weren't for me I would say that he would have gone and committed these rapes sooner-"

"Objection!" Hermione stood, "Hearsay!"

"Sustained," Shacklebolt said, "Refrain from giving your opinion Miss Clearwater. The Wizenagmot shall disregard that remark."

"No further questions," Draco stated as he went back to his seat. Hermione was about to get up when Lavender came rushing to her side once more and whispered something in her ear. Hermione's eyes widened and she asked Lavender if she was sure. She pointed up somewhere into the audience and Hermione's eyes followed.

"Would the defence like to cross examine now or take a short recess first?" Kingsley asked, noticing the shocked look on Hermione's face.

"We'll take a recess Minister," Rabastan answered before Hermione could say a word.

"Very well," Kingsley said, "We shall reconvene in ten minutes time."

At the sound of Kingsley's mallet coming down on the bench, Rabastan bolted from his seat and walked over to where Hermione sat still staring at Lavender in shock.

"You're sure?" She asked the young woman.

"Yes I'm sure," Lavender answered. Hermione then turned her head to Rabastan.

"You cross examine her," Hermione told him.

He looked at her completely stunned.

"What the hell Granger?" He asked, "That's not the plan!"

"Look Lestrange," she said firmly, "Do yourself a favour and follow that woman out into the corridor and you'll see why I'm getting you to do this instead of me. Alright?"

He looked at her funnily for a few moments but after a cold glare from Malfoy he decided that he had better not argue. He followed closely behind Lavender who led him out into the corridor. Were it not for the dire situation of the case he might have been rather turned on by what he saw. There stood Crystal Clearwater with her arms wrapped around another woman, Cho Chang to be exact, kissing her furiously like a fifth year in heat.

"How did you know?" Rabastan asked Lavender quietly.

"I've got my sources doing research on all the witnesses in this case," she told him, "I got a phone call just two minutes ago telling me that they had proof that Clearwater was a lesbian. That loveless relationship she was going on about before? That was with a Miss Linda Nott and they were together for three years. You don't stay in a loveless relationship for three years and then just decide to leave."

They walked back together and before Lavender sat down he gave her a firm kiss on the cheek.

"You're a godsend woman," he said before returning to his seat and acknowledging to Hermione that he would cross examine the witness. Harry gave Lavender a playful poke in the side when the woman sat next to him and blushed. When Kingsley slammed his mallet Rabastan instantly rose and Clearwater instantly sat.

"Miss Clearwater," he said with confidence, "Do you have any proof that you engaged in an affair with Mr Malfoy?"

"Only the guilt I hold in my heart," she said dramatically.

"Did Mr Malfoy ever take you anywhere?"

"No."

"How long were you sleeping together?"

"Four years."

"What's your girlfriend's name?"

"Cho."

The courtroom gasped collectively and Hermione had to restrain herself from giggling. It was all the sweeter for her, knowing full well that Cho was the reason for her own break up with Ron. To think that Ron got left for another woman…it was just priceless.

"No further questions," Rabastan said.

"Wait!" Clearwater exclaimed.

"Yes Miss Clearwater?"

"I-I'm sorry, you had me confused. I thought you said _friend_. Cho-Cho is just a_ friend_."

Cho instantly rose from the audience with an angry scowl on her face and threw the most horrid curse she could think of at Crystal. She instantly swelled and black boils erupted all over her face.

"This is what I get for liking older women," Cho said before marching right out the door. Kingsley had to beat his mallet senseless in order to get the courtroom to quiet down again before he dismissed Clearwater from the stand. The courtroom was in complete disarray for several minutes, the Wizenagmot included. Hermione quickly stood from her seat and shook Rabastan's hand for a job well done. She knew that she had been right in picking him for the cross examinations that she would not be able to handle.

"Well done Lestrange," Lucius said to him when he came to sit next to him once more.

"Thank you Malfoy," he said, making the effort to shake the man's hand as well. He too had caught onto what Hermione was doing with the whole trust thing and though his trust may not mean much at this stage, he still felt that he could contribute. After all he was of the same mind as his fellow Law Enforcer. He may not trust Malfoy but he did believe him.

"Hey," Harry suddenly said, "Where's Lavender?"

They all looked around to find that she had disappeared once more.

"She's got to teach me how she does that," Harry commented.

The girl in question was currently standing outside the courtroom where Dribble the house elf was being given the third degree by his now disgraced owner. He was old with lopsided ears and the most grubby dish towel was used to cover him up toga style.

"You had better save my reputation Dribble or so help me Merlin!" The woman kicked him quite hard in the ribs, "Stupid bitch…make me look like a fool will he...idiots, the lot of them…"

"Dribble will do his best for mistress he will," he said dejectedly. He was obviously one unhappy house elf. If only she could…Lavender closed her eyes. Hermione really owed her big time for this. She checked down both ends of the corridor to make sure no one was watching.

"Now quick!" Clearwater commanded the elf, "Shine my shoes!"

She held out a cloth that she carried in her bag and Lavender saw her opportunity then…

***

"Now everyone," Draco said to the general audience once the court had gotten a hold of themselves, "Just because the affair is in question, that does not mean that the rape should be. Dribble, you know that you are under oath don't you?"

A very different looking elf sat on the stand that afternoon. He still had the same lopsided ears and was still wearing the same dirty toga wrapped around his middle. But there was defiance there now, a new confidence that Hermione had not noticed until then. In the memories of Rabastan's interview with the elf he had always looked dejected and broken and almost willing his life to end. Now he looked as though his life had just begun. Something had happened between Miss Clearwater's testimony and then.

"Yes sir," Dribble stated calmly.

"And you promise to tell the truth?"

"Yes sir."

Draco made a loop around the court room before coming back to Dribble.

"Your mistress says that you witnessed what Mr Malfoy did to her," Draco stated.

"Yes sir," Dribble grinned. Hermione's eyebrow creased. Why was he grinning?

"Is it true what she says?" Draco asked, "Did Mr Malfoy force himself on her?"

"No."

The courtroom gasped. Malfoy looked shocked and confused as did Miss Clearwater who was sitting only a few rows away.

"Dribble I remind you that you are under oath," he said, "You have sworn to tell the truth."

"Dribble is telling the truth sir!" He said, "Dribble is lying before because Miss Clearwater tells him too. She is saying she wants to be famous and that she is using Mr Malfoy as a tool to be famous. She is forcing Dribble to lie!"

"Minister I request that this elf is removed! He is clearly lying to us today!"

"No Dribble is not!" Dribble shouted, "Dribble is lying before but not now!"

"How can you speak against your mistress?! It is against elven law!"

"She is not being Dribble's mistress no more!" Dribble said, taking out a pair of lacey pink underwear from underneath his toga, "She is giving Dribble clothes!"

Clearwater exclaimed in outrage and she ran from the room. Malfoy closed his eyes in frustration. Hermione's eyebrows raised as did everyone else's in the courtroom….except for one. She turned around and scrutinized Lavender who looked like she had had a run in with Ron in sixth year, blushing from head to toe. Draco turned away from Dribble and spoke to Lavender on the way back to his chair.

"I never picked you for lace," he said. At that Lavender blushed even harder than before. Rabastan also turned to gaze at her though he looked coyer than anyone else.

"Will we ever get to see that pair again?" He asked, "I rather like the colour."

"I always thought you were a girl who would be into thongs," Harry suddenly confessed. Hermione flat out hit him to which he scowled. She then turned to Lavender.

"Thank you," she said, "But next time it might be better if you wear an extra pair."

"It's not like I had any socks," she scowled before they turned back to the front of the court room and it was Hermione's turn to cross examine Dribble.

"Congratulations on your new found freedom Dribble," she smiled.

"Thank you miss," he smiled back.

"When did Miss Clearwater ask you to lie for her?" She asked him.

"She is telling Dribble to lie in 1995 Miss," he told her, "She is planning everything. She is also telling Dribble to leave Gringotts and come work for her or she is killing all Dribbles friends there."

"Had you ever seen Mr Malfoy around Miss Clearwater's home at all from 1992 to 1997?"

"No Miss."

"Do you think that Mr Malfoy has ever had any contact with Miss Clearwater at all?"

"No Miss."

"Thank you Dribble," she smiled, "No further questions."

"Dribble the house elf may step down," Kingsley stated, somewhat disorientated by all the information he had received that day, "In light of all events that have happened today I request that all witnesses are verified by the next time we come to court. The time shall be sent to you all by owl post. Adjourned."


	14. So small as a memory

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Here's the next bit. You'll all be happy to know that I got a merit for my speech and I'm now on holiday so you could be getting quite a few updates over the next few days.  
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**Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Fourteen: So small as a memory

As the days went by and no owl came to deliver the next trial date, every occupant of Hermione's household became increasingly paranoid. Lucius took to pacing in his room when he was not called into Hermione's office where she had now taken residence in a pile of paperwork. Rabastan had taken to flying around the large garden and in the forest next to the house to abate his nerves and Severus had become even more vigorous with Aria's lessons, not only teaching her potions but taking over her tutelage all together now. Harry and Lavender had taken to drinking several cups of tea or coffee within an hour or cleaning the hell out of every surface inside. When Hermione had told them that the attic was in desperate need of a scouring they had both jumped at the chance and only returned to make dinner. Even then they fidgeted with every piece of silver they could get their hands on and polished it several times over. This entire trial had the house on edge. The only thing that made it any easier was Draco sending his revised witness list to her some days after the trial…

_Granger_

_Revised list attached. Send your list to the Manor as soon as possible._

_D.M_

Short, instructive and very revealing of his state of mind. He was just as stressed out as everyone else. Hermione had a feeling that his team was doing just as badly as her own. As she looked down at the list he had sent she realised that there were only a few amendments. Lucius had been taken off almost all of the charges and so had most of the attending Aurors. She frowned when she saw the Ron was still on the Death Eater and Terrorism list but half of the others had been removed. Either Malfoy was leaving him there just to annoy her or he had something really good up his sleeve as far as Ron was concerned. Considering her talk that she had had with him a while back now she wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. Along with the amended list came reasons as to why they had been crossed off. This part of the document was not as official as the list and so Draco had felt free to write his comments in which ever way he pleased.

_Alistair Borgin...Thought his shop was more important than justice._

_Grinbo…agoraphobic, prefers the mines beneath Gringots_

_Thork…Another Goblin with a grudge against wizards. At least Grinbo was original_

_Dribble…since freed can't be arsed doing anything but sitting by a pool in New Caledonia sipping butter beer martinis._

She had to admit that the last one made her laugh. Thank Merlin for Lavender and her quick thinking. She always knew that girl had a brain…even if it was in her knickers. Hermione hadn't failed to notice Lavender's increasing stress, even when it was minimal when they had first started on this crazy ride, it had been obvious that the girl was having a few withdrawal symptoms. She had never known Lavender to drink or smoke or do drugs and she had all the healthy and not so healthy food alternatives at her very fingertips so it drew Hermione to the conclusion that there was only one thing that she could possibly be missing. As she sat across from Rabastan in her office with a slight smirk as she looked up at him…she could only say that this was an advantage. Not only was Lavender far more focused when she was sexually frustrated she also exerted…femininity. There were only three single men in the house; one was her former Professor so she wouldn't go there and another was on trial. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the third except for the occasional need for a personality transplant in Hermione's opinion and as far as she could remember, she owed him a great favour for his assistance in this trial.

"Have you got Creevey's murder sorted?" Rabastan suddenly asked her. She put down her quill and rubbed her hand over her eyes.

"Yes," she answered tiredly, "Chang is up for a mighty fall when you question her."

"I wish you would do it."

"You know I would love nothing more than to be the immediate cause of her shame and humiliation," Hermione told him, "But I need to keep the crowd on my side. You have to remember that I'm the one presenting the Death Eater arguments."

"Yeah I know," he said, "Have you actually got your Death Eater argument sorted?"

"Yeah," she said after a yawn, "I don't know how well everyone's going to take it though. It's one hell of a pill to swallow."

"We'll find a way to get it through their thick skulls," Rabastan smiled, reaching over and resting his hand on top of hers, "We're in the right here. Now what about the Cooper case?"

She suddenly gave a great heavy sigh and moved over to her liquor cabinet, retrieving two glasses and a bottle of fire whisky before sending off her revised witness list to Draco. She then sat back across from Rabastan and gave an annoyed scowl.

"That one is the next one up and it's the only one he refuses to talk about it," she said frustratedly.

"What do you mean he refuses to talk about it?" Rabastan asked her in state of muted shock.

"What I mean is that every time I ask him he changes the subject and every time I push him he walks out the door to either prevent himself from spilling the beans of biting my head off," she replied taking a large gulp of amber liquid.

Rabastan paused for a few moments and looked up at her meaningfully. When he caught her eye she shook her head and screwed up her face.

"No," she said, "It's not possible."

"He was under the Dark Lord's control for a long time-"

"But an eight year old? Come on Rabastan, why would Voldemort make him rape an eight year old girl?"

"Punishment perhaps?" He asked as he stood and began pacing, "The Dark Lord was very creative in that department."

"But what for?"

"That I can't answer," he told her with a shake of his head, "I can't get inside Malfoy's head any more than you can."

She took another sip of whisky before turning back with him.

"Who else was out of favour with Voldemort in 1998?" She asked, placing her glass back on the desk.

"I know Bella was because of the whole Gringotts debacle," he told her, "And because she let you lot escape. Come to think of it I think that may have been Malfoy's fault in his eyes too."

"Who else?" She pressed.

"I think Greyback had fallen from grace too," he continued, "And then there was Avery-"

"Avery?" She asked, "What for?"

He shrugged.

"I can't remember," he said, "I know it was for something pretty bad but- hey! Where are you going?"

She didn't answer. She simply walked out the door and almost ran into Lucius' room where he was sitting with Severus and a refillable bottle of mead.

"I can't do it Severus it would- Miss Granger? What can I do for you?"

She paused slightly and looked at Severus before looking back at Malfoy. Severus made to get up but she stopped him.

"Don't Severus," she said, "I won't be here long. I just need to ask a question or two of Mr Malfoy."

Lucius inclined his head, telling her to ask away and she stepped further into the room.

"With the Cooper case," she said slowly, "Is this one of those things where I need to go elsewhere and figure it out myself so that I'll believe it?"

"No," he said curtly.

She stepped even further into the room and took a deep breath.

"Would you like me to save you some pain and go elsewhere anyway?" She asked quietly.

He stared at her blankly for a few moments until he realised that she had caught on somewhat to his declining mood every time Melanie Cooper was brought up in their sessions. Severus looked at Lucius for a few moments as if asking whether he should leave or not but Lucius shook his head, standing himself and then leaving the room. He walked straight past Hermione without another word and she closed her eyes in frustration.

"It does not matter what you do Miss Granger," Severus told you, "You will never spare him pain."

"Not when he's so unwilling to co-operate with me, no," she half yelled, "I won't be able to do anything for him if he keeps acting like this. I knew the whole obedient little dog act would wear off but come on Severus! Even you have to admit that this is ridiculous."

"He's a Malfoy," he rolled his eyes, "Malfoys are born rich, pompous, dramatic and yes, ridiculous."

"It's starting to get old," she told him flatly.

"You need to get used to it," he retorted, "Lucius is a very private man and this trial is forcing the secrets he has fought so hard to keep out into the public where they do not belong. He's going to be difficult so get over it."

She gave another frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. She then looked up at Severus, almost pleading for his help.

"Do you know what happened to Melanie Cooper?" She asked quietly.

"Yes," he said, "I believe I'm one of the very few he told. The only others who would know are the ones who were there and Narcissa."

"I'm not going to Narcissa," she told him firmly, "With her having been there at the trial the press will be all over her and I can't risk them finding out what's going on. Who else was there?"

Severus said nothing, clearly communicating that she wouldn't get anything more out of him. She gave another huff.

"Fine then," she said indignantly, "I'll go on a hunch."

***

She entered the shack without hesitation this time around, instantly taking a seat on one of the chairs by the magical fireplace. She didn't even flinch when Avery pointed his wand at her.

"Don't you Gryffindorks ever knock?" He asked her impatiently.

"No we don't," she said quietly, "We have no sense of personal space whatsoever."

"What do you want now?" He asked her as he lowered his wand, "I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Why?" She asked, "Where do you have to be?"

"I'm moving safe houses," he told her, "These things are only built to feed you for so long."

She felt her phone vibrate within her pocket and took it out to see that Harry was calling her. She placed it on the table and let it keep vibrating until Harry got her answering machine. Avery looked at her funnily for a few moments but said nothing.

"Make sure that Malfoy can still find you so that I'm able to get to you when the time comes for you to testify," she said firmly, "Otherwise I won't be able to help you off your charges."

He gave a grunt and a nod before he resumed his previous activities of packing and wand waving. She watched him in his rush, calmly pouring herself another glass of whiskey from his cabinet.

"Do you know exactly what Malfoy's been charged with?" She asked him.

"I don't know, nor do I care at this stage," he said, his back still to her.

"Six counts of individual murder," she told him.

He snorted.

"Malfoy never got individual victims," he told her with a smirk, "And if he did he passed them on to the others. Hated getting his hands dirty."

"Many counts of Death Eater Activities and Terrorism too," she told him.

"Not surprised," he shrugged.

"Also a count of Hippogriff theft," she informed him.

He scoffed once more.

"Please," he rolled his eyes, "If Lucius wanted a Hippogriff that badly he could just have easily bought one."

Her phone started to vibrate again with a call from Harry again but she ignored it. She could see that Avery was looking at it apprehensively until it stopped moving again.

"And then there are three charges of rape."

Avery instantly stopped what he was doing and stared at the wall ahead of him, making sure to keep his back to her. He knew something. He knew why she was here now. She stayed in her seat with stoic eyes and stared at his back where his head hung low.

"The first was Georgina Everstein," she pressed, "They say he got to her while she was shopping in Hogsmeade. Dragged her up to a cave and had his wicked way with her."

She could see his breathing become unsteady as she went on.

"Then there was Crystal Clearwater who we dealt with at the last hearing," she told him, "She was a bit of a joke but convincing to some all the same. Said she had an affair with him and when she tried to end it he got a little violent."

He stood up straight, his head still bowed, knowing exactly what was coming next.

"Next up is Melanie Cooper," she said quietly, "Eight years old at the time of her attack. Beaten, tortured and raped for hours on end. No one around to help her, no one to pick up the pieces. She was right near death when she was dropped off at St Mungo's-"

"Stop," he suddenly said, "Just stop."

She stood quickly from her seat and walked over to him, a heavy look in her eyes.

"He won't tell me about it," she said to him as she spun him around to face her, "He won't tell me what happened and I can't defend him if I don't know what happened."

"I suspect that he doesn't want you to defend him for this one," he said quietly, "He might want his freedom but not at her expense."

"You know," she said daringly, placing her hands on his shoulders and shaking him, "I know that you know. You have to tell me."

"No," he said flatly, pushing her away from him.

"Why not?!" She yelled, "How the hell do you Death Eaters expect me to help you if you don't-"

"I don't _want_ you to help me at all!" He yelled back, "I want you to leave so that _I_ can leave!"

"Fat chance Avery," she spat, "I'm through being polite so either give me a memory or start talking!"

She made her point by quickly drawing her wand. She had had enough of this Death Eater crap! She didn't care that they were innocent! She didn't care that they were probably in pain! If they wanted her to do her job properly they had to start talking! She was starting to lose her mind!

"Put your wand down Granger," he said quietly.

"Not until you give me what I need," she said fiercely.

"Will you be able to handle it though?" He asked her.

She felt unsteady for a moment, her anger softening as she looked at him strangely. Her phone suddenly went off again, this time from Lavender and once more she ignored it. Avery gave a frustrated growl and picked up the damned thing, opening it up and putting it to his ear.

"She's not going to answer," he told them on the other end, "So stop bloody calling!"

Then he hung up.

"What did you mean before?" She asked guardedly, completely ignoring the fact that he knew how to use a phone.

"There's more than one reason why Lucius can't speak of it," he told her, ignoring it too, "More than one reason I think this will do you more harm than good."

"Are you going to start talking or not?" She asked him coldly.

He gave a great sigh with a few mutters of "Bloody Malfoy" and slowly pulled out his wand. With a heavy heart he drew it to his temple and extracted a silvery substance that was neither liquid nor gas. A memory. Hopefully the one she wanted. He quickly summoned a crystal vial from the other room and placed the memory inside. He then turned to her with a cold hard look.

"This is my greatest shame," he said to her coldly, "Lucius' most painful memory. If you misuse-"

"Why would I do that?" She asked him quietly, "I'm here to help you not ruin you."

"All the same-"

BOOM!

And everything went black.

***

"Granger! Granger! Where are you?!"

Her head was pounding as she groaned lightly, heat engulfing her every limb. She could feel the fire the explosion had created dancing around her, circling her like a predator waiting to pounce. She couldn't move. Her limbs heavy, her eyes unwilling to open. She was completely helpless where she was. She couldn't even speak to answer the voice that was calling her name. Was it really there? Was that tiny ray of a hope a figment of her imagination? Some cruel illusion brought on by the sudden blow to her head?

"Granger!"

She felt someone's hands on her arms, shaking her. She groaned again. If it was an illusion it was a very painful one. _Pain_. It couldn't be an illusion if she could feel pain! She slowly found the strength to open her eyes. She saw red. Literally. Blood lined her vision. She was _bleeding_. It definitely wasn't an illusion now. A shadowy figure wiped her eyes and her vision improved if only slightly.

"S-Severus?"

"Can you walk?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"Where's Avery?"

"Dead," he replied as he picked her up in his arms and taking out his wand. She saw Avery's body lying some meters away from where she had been.

"The body," she coughed out, "Grab the body."

"What the hell for?" He asked her.

"Do-do it."

He gave a frustrated growl and flicked his wand in its direction and levitated him behind them. He then moved quickly through the burning rubble with more agility than she had ever seen him use, not even in the final battle was he that quick. With smoke filling their lungs, they managed to get out of the shack and stumble a few yards away before the magical safe house exploded fully. The force of it knocked them to the ground, Severus shielding Hermione with his body as they hit the muddy forest floor. When the debris had finished flying he slowly lifted himself from her and turned her over to look up at him once more.

"You alright?" He asked her. She nodded mutely after giving him a few coughs.

"Do you feel well enough to apparate?" She nodded again. He picked her up once more and added a hand to the body of Carlos Avery before transporting them back to the gardens of her estate. Once there several people came running out of her house to find her in a bloodied semi conscious state.

"What the hell happened?!" Harry's voice bellowed. Severus didn't answer him. He walked straight past and handed her over to someone she couldn't see. They took her into the house where it was quiet and Severus barricaded everyone else outside before coming in to join them. They laid her on what was unmistakably her kitchen table.

"She has dark magic written all over her," Severus told them, "From the way the hide out exploded I'm thinking Fiend Fire."

"She wasn't the intended target," she heard Lucius' voice say as his hands moved over the wound on her head, chanting as he went. She felt a warming sensation over her bloodied brow and her skin instantly began to knit back together. She felt a cool wash cloth run over her newly repaired skin as they continued to talk.

"She may not have been the intended target but whoever did this enjoyed having her as a bonus prize," Severus told him, "She's reeking of dark magic. We need to find out what spells were used and quickly."

She felt a warm hand over her decollate as it grabbed a hold of the black poison she had bought from Crispin Forster all those years ago.

"She was lucky that this didn't shatter on impact," she heard Lucius mutter as he took it away from her and set it beside her head where she could almost see it.

Then all talking ceased and the two concentrated fully on what they were doing. Severus forced several potions down her throat and Lucius continued to chant, healing her broken bones and bruises.

"_Magicus Revealio," _Lucius said calmly. She felt her body turn cold as ice and she shivered uncontrollably.

"Nightmare Hex," Severus whispered, as though making a note of it.

Her body suddenly went from icy cold to blazing hot in a matter of seconds. She began to sweat and was relieved when the cool cloth came over her forehead once more.

"Memory Demolisher," Lucius muttered.

Then the pain started all over again. Thousands of knives stabbing her all over her body, her mind racing as she screamed for it to stop over and over and over again.

"Cruciatus," they muttered together. And then the pain stopped. She rested against the table top once more and opened her eyes to them. They looked slightly stunned that she was able to do so. She breathed heavily as she sat up and almost collapsed again but Lucius held onto her tightly around the waist. She leaned back into him and tried to stop seeing double before she got off the table and stumbled slightly. All the while Lucius would not let go.

"Where do you think you're going," he asked her lightly as he picked her up completely to stop her from getting away.

"To find out what the hell happened," she said in between deep breaths. Her eyes were glowing with what could only be described as murderous rage. Lucius gave a slight nod to Severus who moved out of her vision.

"We already know what happened," he told her quietly as he sat down in a chair and left her in his lap, "At least we have strong suspicions in any case."

She leaned into him, too tired to really care who she was sitting on. He was too comfortable for his own good and it wasn't like he himself was _un_comfortable. Severus came back into the room, stopped slightly at the sight of them sitting on a chair together but said nothing as he came into view with the _Evening Prophet_.

"What does the paper have to do with it?" She asked them quietly.

"A great deal," Severus told her, "Are you able to read the headline?"

Hermione slowly took the paper from his hands with a slight scowl and focused her eyes as much as she could on the front headline.

_Witness lists released: Secrets behind the Defence and Prosecution cases for Lucius Malfoy Revealed!_

Her eyes widened in fear and she leapt from Lucius' lap immediately, completely forgetting her physical state. Lucius instantly caught her once more as she fell back onto him. She focused her eyes completely on Severus

"It's why Potter was trying to get a hold of you," he told her, "Why he and Miss Brown called you so many times. I take it Avery was the one who picked up?"

"You need to get all my witnesses inside my house where I know they're safe!" She half yelled at him, "Have Harry bring Ginny as well. If they're attacking witnesses who knows what they'll do to the wives of body guards."

"Do you have enough room for them all?" Severus asked.

"We'll find room," she told him, "Now go!"

Within seconds, Hermione could tell that only she and Lucius were the ones left inside the house. No doubt Severus had employed the help of the other three to get everyone in her house safely. She felt Lucius shift slightly beneath her but he did not move to shift her off of him. He held her firmly in place so that she would not slide from his lap onto the floor.

"Perhaps you had best get some rest," he told her, "A lot of explaining will have to be done once the others get here."

"No," she told him firmly, "Only my body is weak. I need to look at Avery's body."

She felt him shudder slightly.

"Are you able to help me with that?" She asked almost tentatively, "It needs to be done. I have some questions that need answering."

She felt him give a stiff nod from behind her and place her on the chair while he went outside to grab Avery. He came back seconds later with the floating body right behind him. He placed it on the table where she had once been and then moved over to help support her so that she could see him. Avery was just as bloodied and battered as she had been but ten times worse. Before she looked at him properly her eyes found her poison sitting beside his head. She conjured a new chain for it out of thin air, seeing as the old one appeared to have broken and wrapped it around her neck once more.

"And who is that intended for?" Lucius asked her.

"No one who's alive now," she said back before turning back to Avery, "Would you mind turning him over for me?"

Lucius used a steady hand and flicked it once so that the body rolled over onto its stomach. Several long gashes were there, fresh, angry and raw. Younger versions of those she had seen on another not too long ago.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" She asked Lucius. He peered down at the lacerations with an inquiring gaze, careful not to drop her as he leaned forward over the body.

"I've only ever known one man to make those kinds of marks," he told her gravely, "And only at the full moon. But Greyback is safely behind bars."

"Perhaps another werewolf?" She asked.

"No other werewolf would know where the safe house was," he shook his head, "Come to think of it, not even Greyback knew where the safe house was."

"Then whoever did this to me and to Avery has to be some kind of Animagus or Metamorphagus," she said quietly before screwing her face up in concentration, "Why can't I remember his face? I know it was a he, I know he attacked me after he had dealt with Avery. What I don't remember is was he looked like."

He stared at her for a few moments before he remembered the Memory Demolishing Charm that had been placed on her moments before Severus found her unconscious in the shack.

"The reason you can't remember who attacked you is because of a particular dark memory charm that your attacker used," he told her.

"Memory charms aren't dark though," she stated, "They simply block a memory from one's consciousness and push it to the back of one's mind."

"The reason this one is so dark is because it cuts a memory from your mind, literally," he told her, "In your case a particular piece of the memory. You will never remember what he looked like unless you see him again."

"So he's taunting me then?" She asked, suddenly cold, "Dangling the answer in front of my face?"

"So it would seem," Lucius told her, "And there are very few who would do such a thing to you, most of them Death Eaters who were loyal to the Dark Lord from the beginning…most of them still in prison. What _do_ you remember?"

She searched inside her head, finding pieces of images, hazy, cloudy snippets of memory. Still pictures and moving glimpses of static.

"Pieces," she said to him, screwing her face up in concentration, "The explosion…Avery being tortured…Passing out…Pain, lots and lots of pain…and then nothing. I can see a body, a man, every time I try to remember…but no face to put to it."

"Whoever used the charm was very effective then," he muttered before turning back to her, "Do you need to look at the body any more?"

"No," she said as she shook her head, "I think this may be coincidence more than anything else. There's no way that Bellatrix's death and Avery's are related. I'll floo the minister once my guests arrive and tell him what's happened."

Lucius gave her a curt nod and carried her into the lounge where he seated her on his lap once more and again she did not complain. It just seemed so natural at the time, so right. There was no point in trying to move when he seemed so intent upon keeping her there, keeping her safe personally.

"What did you go to Avery for?" He asked her quietly.

"To go and get answers," she told him honestly, "Neither you or Severus would speak to me so I went to go and get what I wanted from someone else."

He stiffened slightly and looked away from her but did not push her away as she expected him to.

"And did he give them to you?" He asked with a slight tone of fear, reluctance for what he might hear in return.

In answer, she pulled out the crystalline vial from her pocket. She felt him swallow from behind her and shudder slightly. This memory, what ever he had done within it, whatever Avery remembered, he clearly did not want her to see it.

"Hermione," he whispered uneasily, "That memory-"

"Is obviously something you aren't proud of," she cut him off, turning slightly to stare at him, "But I know that what ever you did, you had no choice but to do it. If I don't witness this then I can't attest that you weren't responsible."

He looked away from her. Perhaps Avery had been right. Maybe he _didn't_ want her to defend him on this charge. She turned his face back to her with the tips of her fingers and stared him directly in the eye. Her gaze was soft when met with his cold hard stare, something that she had come to see as a defence mechanism in the time that she had truly gotten to know him. He didn't mean to be so harsh. It was just all she knew.

"Lucius," she whispered, his given name sounding foreign on her tongue, "What will I see in this memory?"

His gaze softened slightly but not all that much as he answered with heavy words of what sounded like guilt.

"Things that I would rather forget," he told her, "Things that you will wish to forget when you see it."

She was about to respond when she was cut off by the floo. Severus walked through with Narcissa and Blaise right behind him. He stopped in mid stride when he saw them together on the couch but said nothing. Blaise raised a silky eyebrow at them but also stayed silent. Narcissa was the only one who felt comfortable enough to speak. Not really all that surprising considering her relationship with Lucius and her client relationship with Hermione.

"Hello Miss Granger," she smiled softly, "Lucius."

"Cissa," he smiled back, something Hermione had never seen him do, "How are you?"

"A little confused as to why I am here but otherwise alright," she told him, "You?"

"Considering the circumstances, not bad," he responded, watching as Narcissa went to sit by Blaise, clasping his hand as she went. Blaise sent him a look that clearly said 'keep your mitts off my woman'. Hermione had to disguise a laugh as a cough within a matter of seconds.

"Lucius," Severus suddenly said, "A word, if you will?"

Hermione couldn't help but know what this talk was going to be about. Lucius carefully moved her from his lap and onto the couch. He stopped for a few moments when she groaned in pain but she told him to get on with it quickly and she would be fine. He left her there with the others and moved into the next room with his old friend.

"When did this start?" Narcissa asked her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked her. She raised an eyebrow and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"He's been taking care of me," she told her, "I was just involved in an accident that he no doubt blames on himself."

"Miss Granger," Narcissa said carefully, "I know Lucius, very well. I was married to him for half my life…You may only see it as him simply taking care of you. He may even see it that way too. But-"

She was cut off by the sound of Lavender coming through the floo and Crispin Forster just behind her. Hermione was instantly by her side and hugging her before she could protest.

"Are you alright?" She asked, "Snape wouldn't tell us anything-"

"I'm fine," she stated, "Just a little shaken."

Crispin made his way over to her side and shoved a foul tasting potion into her mouth before she could even make a sound. She spluttered and spat until she stood and Lavender held her back from trying to strangle him.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" She roared at him.

"What indeed?" Crispin smiled. As Lucius and Severus came running back into the room Hermione looked down at herself and they stared at her in shock. Crispin said nothing more as he walked over to the nearest armchair and sat smugly in their presence. She glared at him slightly.

"I probably should thank you but I find myself uninspired to do so," she told him curtly.

"I shall take your silent, unwilling gratitude easily enough Miss Granger," he told her with a smile that she supposed was meant to be polite but turned just as smug as the last. Lucius instantly walked over and inspected her limbs; presumably to make sure that whatever Crispin had given her didn't interfere with his somewhat illegal handy work. He ran his cool hands down her arms and up her sides and then inspected her forehead which had bled uncontrollably upon arrival. She could see Severus roll his eyes out of the corner of her own and she saw Crispin raise an eyebrow and smirk.

"Well this is interesting," he said quietly. Hermione removed herself from Lucius' grip and glared at him as she sat down on the couch. Severus and Lucius took either side of her. At that moment Harry and Ginny came through her fireplace and she instantly stood once more to receive the redhead that ran straight at her, knocking her back onto the couch. Severus instantly stood but Lucius seemed to refuse to move.

"Are you ok?" Ginny asked her desperately, tears almost in her eyes for the first time in a long time, "Harry said you'd been attacked and that I might be next and-"

"Gin, I'm ok," she told her best friend, engulfing her into her arms, "I'll explain everything once you let go, Ok?"

She stood from the couch once Ginny let her go and then moved over to Harry who engulfed her as well.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," he said in a fierce whisper, "I'm your bodyguard for a reason. I don't care how illegal your activities are, I'm going to be there from now on."

She nodded into his shoulder and it was apparently all the confirmation he needed. She let him go and went back to her seat on the couch next to Lucius. She could see Ginny eying him suspiciously and knew that things would have to be dealt with later but for now they all needed to talk. But…wait. Where was-

"Where's Lestrange?" Lucius suddenly asked her. She looked over to Severus.

"As far as I know he went to alert the ministry to the fact that one of your witnesses has been murdered," Severus told them, "It may take him a while to get through the paperwork that's involved-"

"One of your witnesses?" Narcissa suddenly said, "I thought it was Granger that was attacked."

"I was," Hermione stepped in before anyone else could, "I had gone to the place where Avery was hiding for," she paused and looked at Lucius for a moment before continuing, "For a follow up interview. We were interrupted by an explosion. After that everything gets a little hazy."

"An explosion?" Blaise asked her.

"Yes," Severus said, "From the way the hide out was burning I would say that Fiend Fire was involved."

"Avery is dead?" Narcissa asked quietly, Hermione nodded, "I'm sad to hear it. He was one of the better Death Eaters…when he was lucid I suppose."

"Lucid?" Hermione asked her.

"Well I'm assuming that he was constantly under the imperius curse because most of the time his eyes were glassy," she told her, "It was a lot like…Lucius was."

Her eyes met with that of her ex-husband and she clapped her free hand over her mouth in horror for not figuring it out before.

"Oh Lucius," she said, "How did he do it for so long? How did I not notice?"

"For all his horrid ways, Tom Riddle was an intelligent man," Severus told her, "He deceived many. Do not blame yourself for not seeing it sooner."

Ginny was looking from Narcissa, to Lucius to Hermione at a rapid pace trying to figure out what she had missed. Blaise just held onto Narcissa's hand to give her strength. Lavender looked away from everyone else in the room and appeared to be waiting for someone to come through the fireplace. Hermione decided to address them all at once.

"Ginny," she said softly, "I'm going to put some trust in you and allow Harry to tell you everything that he knows. If you have any other questions we will all be willing to answer them. Miss Black-"

"Zabini now," Blaise smiled, "You interrupted our honeymoon."

Lucius raised an eyebrow at his ex-wife and gave her an amused smile. She smiled back at him.

"Congratulations," Lucius said to the two of them.

"Mr and Mrs Zabini," Hermione addressed them with a smile, "And Mr Forster. I would very much like it if you would please stay at my home for the duration of the trial. My house and grounds are heavily warded and I have traps ready for intruders at any moment. At least this way I'll know you're safe."

"Do you have the room for us?" Crispin asked, "It seems you already have a merry band of followers Miss Granger."

"We'll find room," she told him firmly, "But if you are going to ignore me and leave, please do me the honour of staying at least one night so that I have time to figure out who's done this and know that you won't be attacked while I'm gone."

Blaise looked to Narcissa and she nodded.

"We'll stay as long as you need us," he told her. Hermione nodded to them gratefully. She then looked over at Forster.

"So long as I can leave to tend to my shop I will stay," He told her with a slight incline of his head. At that final word Rabastan re-emerged from the fireplace and brought several Aurors and the Minister for Magic with him. Hermione stood once more, a cold hard look in her eyes as she addressed them.

"The body is on my kitchen table," she said to the Aurors before turning to Kingsley, "And I want to see you upstairs in my office along with Rabastan, Lavender and Lucius. We've got a lot of things to discuss. Everyone else just stay out of the Aurors' way and we'll find you some rooms once I'm done here."

She led them up to her office, holding the door open for them once all three staff members and the Minister were inside. She instantly turned on them with a very business like manner. She picked up the _Evening Prophet_ and threw it on the desk in front of Kingsley.

"I want time to address the press at the next hearing," she demanded, "And then I want them thrown out of the courtroom."

"Hermione there's no guarantee-"

"One of my witnesses is dead! An innocent man is dead!" She yelled at him, her voice cracking under the strain, her eyes blazing with anger, "How the _hell_ else do you explain it?!"

Kingsley snorted at the word 'innocent' but quickly silenced when he saw the look in her eyes.

"With the amount of dark magic that was used," Lucius stepped in and told her, "On both yourself and Avery, there is no guarantee that it was a member of the public gone rogue."

"How do you know there was dark magic involved?" Kingsley asked suspiciously.

"You didn't expect me to just sit there and let my Law Enforcer die did you?" He asked curtly, "Especially when she was there for my sake, when I was too stubborn to give her what she needed."

As Hermione looked at him she realised that was about the closest thing to an apology she would ever receive. Kingsley coughed and seemed to get the point.

"Whether it was a member of the public or another runaway Death Eater it still does not excuse the fact that our witnesses should not have been given to the press in the first place," Rabastan told them all, "Hermione's owls are extremely vicious when intercepted and Draco's nearly bit my arm off when it _wasn't_. Anyone who tried to tackle them from their journeys has to be completely mental."

"Or the ministry has a mole."

They all turned to stare at Lavender.

"Think about it," she said, "Each member of the Wizenagmot gets a copy of each witness list too. Why bother to intercept an owl when you can just take a list from a desk that's more than likely to be unwarded. Not every member is as careful as they used to be. Or perhaps one of the members themselves did it."

Kingsley stared at her for a few moments before breaking out into nervous laughter.

"That's impossible," he said, "If they were ever caught-"

"They would face up to six months in Azkaban and be a thousand galleons lighter," Rabastan stated, "But compared to sending Lucius Malfoy back to prison, isn't that a small price to pay?"

"But both lists were sent out," Kingsley retorted, "Why would they send both lists if they intended to only destroy the defence?"

"Because sending the prosecution's list doesn't really harm their case," Hermione told him, "Which reminds me…Lavender? Could you please stick your head in the fireplace and tell Malfoy to get out of bed? He needs to hear about this."

Lavender walked out of the room.

"Is now really the best time?" Lucius asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Better he hears now and gets all _his_ witnesses to safety than he hear it later and find himself in the same predicament we're in," she told him softly, "You never know what could happen."

"Wouldn't that be better for us?" Rabastan asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We're bound by law to tell him what's happened and there's no point in being impolite," she told him harshly, "Besides, would you really like to see someone else die tonight?"

He nodded, getting the point quickly.

She turned back to the Minister.

"So do I get my time or what?" She asked.

He sighed.

"I'll see what I can do," he told her, "Rest assured though, the _Daily Prophet_ shall be charged for this."

Hermione rolled her eyes as he walked away and Lavender returned with a very tired looking Draco Malfoy, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts. He was so tired that he didn't seem to care that his father was in the room.

"Two questions Granger," he yawned as he rubbed his eyes, "Why the hell are there so many people in your house and what the fuck do you want at this hour?"

Hermione couldn't help but snort as she walked away from his father and over to him.

"Draco I've told you before," she smirked, "Either wear a muggle suit or nothing at all. I happen to have _no_ suit in my office so-"

"I've said the same thing about you and your leather pants," he shot back, "And yet you never listen to me."

She chuckled softly as she went and warded the door with silencing charms. She then turned on him in all seriousness and all joking was put aside.

"Did you see the _Prophet_ this afternoon?" She asked him.

"No I've been out all day," he told her, "Why?"

"They've gone and revealed our witness lists to the world," Rabastan told him.

"And now one of my witnesses is dead," Hermione cut in, "And if it weren't for Severus and Lucius I probably would be too."

His eyes met his father's for a brief moment before he began to pace the office as though it were his own.

"Any idea how they got the lists?" He asked.

"We're still working on that," Hermione told him, "I'll be putting Lavender on it personally."

"I'll have Pansy dig around too," he informed her.

"It also might be good if you move your witnesses into the manor," Hermione suggested, "You never know what people will do. And Death Eaters are still on the run."

"Will do," he told her, "Better to be safe than sorry."

He then did something that the others did not expect. He walked over to her and embraced her, kissing the top of her head. She leaned into him much as she had Lucius that afternoon.

"You ok?" He whispered.

"Yes," she said back, "I'm fine now."

"You'll have to tell me what happened," he said firmly.

"Harry could-"

"Harry wasn't the one who was almost killed today," he told her, "I want to hear it from you."

"Alright then," she nodded, "After the next hearing we'll get together for a drink."

"It's a date," he smiled before exiting the office once more. Everyone else just continued to stare at her as she watched him go and mutter to a passing Auror that he missed a spot. She turned back to a completely silent office and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh spell a bridge," she told them.

"I never realised that you and Malfoy were so…flirtatious," Rabastan smirked.

"We've been through a lot together and against one another," she told him, "We were bound to figure out there was some chemistry there sooner or later."

"And have you ever…acted on that chemistry?" Lavender asked, still slightly dazed at the sight of the Malfoy heir in his boxers.

"Would I still be here if I did?" She responded, "Honestly is that all you two ever think about? We have more pressing matters to discuss. Like the fact that my entire argument for the Death Eater Charges has now gone out the window."

"What do you mean "gone out the window"?" Rabastan asked her incredulously, "We still have the evidence and the Zabinis and Forster-"

"But we have no living example of what happened to Lucius," she told him firmly. They all seemed to look at her strangely once more for using his first name, as strange as she had felt when she used it for the first time. But once more they said nothing on the matter. Hermione distantly wondered how long that would last.

"Without that living example," she told them all firmly, "The case loses its credibility."

"We'll find someone else," Lucius told her, "There are bound to be plenty more who were in the same predicament that I was in, many others who remember very little of what happened during the second war or even the first."

"I wish I had your confidence," she muttered so no one could hear. She then went over to her desk and picked up the Cooper case files and evidence.

"Where are you going with those?" Rabastan asked her.

"I have work to do," she answered curtly.

"You got what you needed from Avery?" He asked. She looked over at Lucius who was looking away from everyone else.

"Yes," she said, "But I've decided to deal with this one on my own."

"Granger this is a huge case-"

"I know how big it is Lestrange I don't need you to tell me," she quipped as she walked over to Lucius. She turned his face back to her much the way she had when she was seated on his lap.

"I'm not going to let anyone else see it," she told him, "Not until the trial. I'm going to look at it in the privacy of my ministry office where I have wards everywhere and my own pensieve."

"You need rest," he told her firmly, "We are unsure of what Forster gave you or how long it will last-"

"Whatever Forster gave me is obviously working and he wouldn't give me anything harmful if he knew what was good for him," she smirked.

He paused slightly, giving her a once over before he relented and gave her a slight nod. She smiled and vanished out the door and into the fireplace before anyone else had a chance to ask what was going on.


	15. Guilt,Lies andthe Truth you can't handle

Chapter Fifteen: Guilt, Lies and the Truth you can't handle

She re-emerged from her office the next night, exhausted, shocked but most of all…horrified at what she had seen. They had been right, all three of them. Severus, Lucius, Avery…they had all tried to stop her from seeing that memory for one reason or another and now she was wishing that she hadn't pushed it. The things that had happened to that poor little girl, things that should never even be thought of, things that the culprit should be murdered for…

She stumbled out of the fireplace to a full living room, her eyes blank, without feeling. It was the only way she could get through this portion of the trial without falling to pieces. She had to feel nothing at all. Harry instantly stood to greet her, as did Lavender and Aria but she instantly sped past them not saying a word. Lucius, Severus and Rabastan watched her go with worried eyes. Being unable to see her for the past twenty four hours had done Lucius' head in. The entire time he had sat by the fireplace waiting for her to return, hoping for the chance to talk things through with her, make sure that his demons had not become her own. He didn't want her to relive the nightmare that had plagued him for the last five years and probably would plague him for the rest of his life. It just wasn't her battle to fight.

Both Severus and Rabastan looked at him.

"You had better find out what happened," Severus said to him.

"Wait," Harry cut him short, "Why him?"

"Because it was his memory she witnessed," Rabastan said quietly, gravely, "Whatever was in it has obviously shaken her. If anyone can talk her through it, it's him."

"I don't get it," Lavender suddenly said, "Apart from almost falling on her arse she seemed fine."

"Gryffindors," Blaise rolled his eyes. Forster seemed to just giggle at the predicament.

"My, my Mr Malfoy," he said, "Whatever will you do now? Now that she has seen what you see on a nightly basis-"

"You know nothing of what she has seen," Lucius hissed. Several members of the room seemed to lean back in apparent fear. After he noticed their shocked expressions he realised that he had let a portion of the old Lucius come to the surface, the defence mechanism he had fought so hard to control for the duration of the trial. He gave a half whispered apology to them and then exited, only to feel a soft familiar hand on his shoulder when he was about to climb the stairs.

He turned to see Narcissa by his side and he restrained himself from pulling away from her and chastising her the way he used to when he felt out of control. She didn't deserve his frustration. She seemed to read his mind as she smiled at him.

"Ever the gentleman Lucius," she said.

"It is how I was raised Narcissa," he said to her in a polite tone, "You of all people know that."

"I do," she said to him, "And while _they_ may know nothing of what Miss Granger has seen I certainly do. I'll always remember your face when you stumbled in that day…very much like she had."

"It was one of my darkest days," he said, closing his eyes, "I had never been so..."

"_I_ had never been so frightened for you in my life," she said darkly, "You were so cold it prompted me to give the Dark Lord a piece of my mind. I told him that my family would no longer stand by his side if he continued to torture us for his own pleasure. I've never felt so much pain in my life but it was worth it. The satisfaction out weighed the pain."

"If it were not for my mistakes you would not have suffered at all Cissa," he told her, placing a hand at the hollow of her neck.

"If it were not for your mistakes I would not be the woman I am now, Lucius," she smiled to him, "I regret nothing of what I have done in my lifetime, including marrying you and while you may have things to regret, do not do so because of me."

"Ever the Lady, Narcissa," he smiled as he brought her into his embrace.

"Only for you Lucius," she laughed back, "You should see what I'm like with Blaise."

"As entertaining as that thought is," he chuckled, "I believe I have a young woman to console."

Narcissa drew out of his grip and looked up at the staircase.

"No," she shook her head, "Wait until tomorrow afternoon, after the hearing."

He looked at her strangely and she elaborated.

"She's very different from you and I Lucius," she told him, "She hasn't seen nearly as much of war as we have. You saw the look in her eyes when she came through the floo. Blank, empty. She's trying to keep it together to deal with the trial tomorrow. Talking to her now would just cause her to fall apart and that would not do her any favours. No doubt she has a plan to deal with this and she isn't going to like what she has to do."

He also looked up the stairs and then back down to his ex-wife again.

"Very well," he said, "I'll follow your advice."

"Have I ever done you wrong before Lucius?" She asked with another smile.

"Well there was that time in Cambodia when you-"

"Alright perhaps I have," she said quickly, "But I'm not this time."

"That salesman was never the same," he chuckled.

"If I remember correctly neither were you," she said and he instantly shut up. He looped an arm around her waist like he used to as they walked outside into the extensive grounds.

"Where did we go wrong Cissa?" He asked her softly as they walked together, "We were happy once."

"I don't think we did go wrong Lucius," she told him, stopping their walk and turning to stare at him, "I didn't divorce you because I was unhappy or because I didn't love you anymore."

"Then why did you?" He asked.

"It was time for us to move on," she told him, "The war had damaged us both to an extent where we couldn't heal while we were together. Too many memories, too much resentment. I know you could feel it too."

He nodded in agreement.

"I still love you Lucius," she said, touching his face tenderly, "I will always love you. But I love Blaise now…and I'm happy with him."

"I can see that," he said lightly, "I haven't seen you jump so much in the time span of an hour since you and I first got married. Don't think I didn't know what he was trying to do under that table."

"He's young," she admitted with a smile, "But he'll learn over time to be a little more…"

"Discrete?" He offered, "Careful? Methodical?-"

"Patient?" She shot back, "If I remember correctly you could never control yourself while we were in company either."

"At least I knew how to get what I wanted," he said in a low husky voice that she hadn't heard for a long time. She gave him a smirk before taking his arm again and continuing to walk.

"And what do you want now Lucius?" She asked him. He stayed silent as he looked at her.

"I've seen the way you look at her," she told him, "I remember how you stayed by her when we arrived yesterday…"

"She is my Law Enforcer-"

"You may be able to fool the others with that excuse but I know you better than they ever will," she silenced him quickly. Before she could continue, Harry was at the door telling them that dinner was ready and Blaise wished to see Narcissa. When he disappeared once more Narcissa turned back to Lucius with a small smile.

"You've paid for your sins," she told him, "You've been a good husband and a good father no matter how much Draco would deny it. If she is amenable by the end…perhaps its time you had a little happiness."

She left him there looking completely floored.

"Please describe the attack."

Hermione sat behind her desk doing her best to maintain a professional appearance as she internally fell apart. She had completely forgotten to address the press when Kingsley had given her the chance and Rabastan had done so instead, delivering a fiery speech about how they had just contributed to the death of an innocent man. She would have delivered it herself but her mind was still on the memories the little girl before her was about to recount. Her sandy brown hair fell in ringlets around her shoulders as she clutched to her mother's hand for dear life and shook from head to toe. She spoke through her mother whose eyes were glowing a bright blue as she spoke for her daughter.

"I was with mummy when we were shopping in Diagon Alley," the older woman said as the little girl tried not to cry, "We were just going past Gringotts when she told me that she left her purse behind in Flourish and Blotts and I went to go and get it for her. Just before I got into the shop I felt someone grab me and stun me."

The little girl started to lose herself in sniffles and sobs and her mother had to pause as she tried to pull herself together again.

"What happened next Melanie?" Draco asked her softly, "I know this is hard but we need for you to be brave."

She shook even harder at his words but continued on through her mother.

"They blinded me," she told them, "They tore off my clothes and blinded me."

"There was more than one?" Draco asked her.

"Yes," she sobbed and cried once more. Draco approached the witness bench and gave her a tissue.

"Do you know who was there?" Draco asked her softly.

"Yes," she told him shakily, "I heard them. I heard them all talk."

"Did you hear Mr Malfoy?"

"Objection," Rabastan suddenly stood, "Leading the witness."

"Overruled," Kingsley said, "The witness is in so much pain I think she needs some leading."

"Then have opposing council ask of others instead of directly accusing my client," Rabastan huffed as he sat down again. Kingsley gave a nod to Draco and he continued.

"Did you hear Mr Malfoy?" Draco repeated.

She shivered and shook and cried some more. Hermione tried her best not to look at her as she did so. What she had seen was bad enough, what she was going to do was even worse and so she didn't need to hear what the girl knew to be truth.

"Yes," she finally answered, "He said to You-Know-Who that he wasn't worthy of such a gift."

Draco nodded and stepped forwards to address the Wizenagmot.

"Miss Cooper is clearly in distress," he said in a soothing tone of voice, "I ask permission to spare her any more pain and to let me recount what else happened after that."

Kingsley gave him a nod as the other members of the Wizenagmot looked on. Draco moved back to his desk and picked up a file. He moved back to the middle of the room and began to read aloud.

"Melanie's injuries were as follows," he told the courtroom, "She had sixty two bruises all over her body, seventy one lacerations on her arms, stomach, chest and legs. She was raped many times. She had her hair torn from her scalp, two broken ribs, a broken arm and both her legs were dislocated. This was done over a time period of seven hours," the crowd around them began to stir uncomfortably, "Now if you do not believe that hearing Lucius Malfoy's voice is enough to convict him of this heinous crime then I would like to remind you all that his hair was found on Melanie when she was examined and treated at St Mungo's."

The crowd cried out in outrage, some even drawing their wands. Lucius kept his face blank through the entire ordeal and Hermione continued to avert her eyes from the sobbing little girl on the stand. Her mother's eyes suddenly stopped glowing and she turned to her daughter to embrace her. She cowered into her mother's side and cried on her shoulder until Kingsley finally controlled the court once more.

"No more questions," Draco said as he went to sit down again. Hermione took a deep shuddering breath but stayed seated. She was frightened of what she was about to do, frightened not only for herself but for her client. If this did not work, if she somehow lost favour, it could damage his case considerably. But she was also frightened for little Melanie sitting on the stand, crying her eyes out and shaking from pure fear. She didn't want to cause the girl any more pain…but she had to do what was right.

"Miss Granger?" Kingsley asked. She felt a soft hand encompass her own and she turned to look at Lucius who was staring down at her.

"It's your turn to face your demons," he told her, "Do what you must."

What she must. Such an odd thing to say. She had had to do many things in her time. She had to sit and watch while the boy she loved snogged another. She had to watch as that same boy who had become her husband had an affair blatantly in front of her. She had to watch those she loved fall apart and then piece themselves back together. She had to watch those same loved ones turn their backs on her because she defended an innocent man. But never had she done something like this.

"Miss Granger?" Kingsley asked a little more firmly. She finally snapped out of her trance and looked over at the man. He was giving her a stern look that told her to either get up now or hold her silence. She took another breath and stood, Lucius allowing his hand to drop from hers as she did so.

She placed that same shaking hand inside her robe before she calmed herself and pulled out the crystalline vial with the memories inside and walked over to the projector pensieve, pouring the contents inside.

"Miss Cooper," she said strongly, putting on an emotionless mask, "You say you heard Mr Malfoy speak?"

Melanie grabbed her mother's hand once more and then she nodded.

"Had you heard his voice before the attack?"

Her mother's eyes turned blue once more and the woman spoke.

"Yes," she said, "My grandfather, Florean Fotescue, had been taken by Death Eaters while I was staying with him. Mr Malfoy was there as well as others."

"Who else was there during your attack that you recognised?" Hermione asked her, walking around the room to calm herself.

"I heard three others apart from You-Know-Who and Mr Malfoy," she said, "One I did not recognise and then there was Bellatrix Lestrange and Carlos Avery. They were both there to take away my Grandfather too."

Hermione gave a nod to herself and asked for the pensieve to be activated. Instantly a frozen picture appeared before the court. The Dark Lord standing behind three captives, two men and a woman, then there was Melanie tied up and blinded on the ground and another man behind her. Melanie kept her gaze firmly away from the picture.

"This memory was given to me just before Carlos Avery died," she told them all, "Before I play it I would like to remind the court that it is not Melanie's fault that she has it wrong. She was blinded and as we all know, the undertones of Slytherins can be tricky to pick up, especially for a child who at the time knew nothing of them. I ask the Wizenagmot to keep an open mind and for any and all children in the room to be removed."

She saw that at least two or three rows of parents shoved their children out of the room once they saw the images that were projecting into the room. Lucius watched her as she stood there gazing at his worst memory. He couldn't help but see it in his mind as he saw her stoic face. It had been rather cold that day, wind howling, thunder rolling…

_He felt Rookwood hit him again and again as they landed him and the other two prisoners in a dirty alleyway next to Knocturn. He didn't mind the physical pain. He was more than grateful that the Dark Lord had decided to give Rookwood the honour. He knew why he was here. He had failed the Dark Lord on too many occasions now. First the Department of Mysteries, then his son, after that his wand and now he had let Potter escape from his home. Even while he had been under the Dark Lord's control he had still failed to serve him._

_His captors dumped him and the other prisoners on the ground once they arrived and Rookwood left at the nod of his Lord. The snake like creature then turned his gaze upon his minions._

_"The three of you are here all for the same reason," he hissed, "You have failed me."_

_"P-please M-Master," Bella sobbed and begged, shaking like a mad thing, "I-I'm your m-most faithful m-most loyal-"_

_"You are nothing Bella," he hissed softly, touching her cheek as she sobbed harder, "You allowed Potter and the Mudblood and the Blood-traitor to escape, therefore you are nothing."_

_"M-master please," she cried, "I have always s-served you w-well!"_

_He said nothing to her and moved on to Lucius._

_"You are guilty of the same crime," he told him, "You were there when the boy and his friends escaped."_

_"It was never our intention to let them go," Lucius said, keeping his eyes to the floor and his fear at bay._

_He could almost feel the Dark Lord's smirk._

_"You won't cry like her will you?" He asked rhetorically, "You have too much dignity for that Lucius, too much pride, isn't that right?"_

_Lucius said nothing. The Dark Lord sneered and moved on._

_"And you Avery," he said, "Will you cry and try to repent for your sins?"_

_"No my Lord," he spat the words, "I have nothing to repent for."_

_Lucius stared at Avery in amazement. Was he trying to get himself killed? Then again, he had been in the same situation as Lucius for the past year. Death was probably more preferable than being controlled by a mad man._

_"You failed to secure Augusta Longbottom," Voldemort said calmly, "As well as several others."_

_"I had no control over my actions," Avery sneered, "So isn't it technically your fault?"_

_"Crucio!"_

_Avery took the curse in silence but cringed and curled into a ball on the dirty ground. If it weren't for the fact that his hands were behind his back he would have tried to put a stop to it but as it were he could do nothing. Long minutes passed and finally the Dark lord lifted his wand. Avery leaned himself against a brick wall and their eyes met. They both knew that this was not their punishment. Something worse was on its way. They could feel it. It was then that Rookwood chose this moment to reappear and he was not alone. He held a little girl in his arms, struggling to break free, clearly blinded by Darkening Charm and frightened beyond belief. He threw her to the ground and covered her body with his with a mirthful leer._

_"I've taken your pasts into account for this special punishment," the Dark Lord sneered down at them, "Perhaps this will teach you not to fail me."_

_"I'm not worthy of such a gift, my Lord," Lucius glared up at him. The Dark Lord's face contorted into a hard mask of anger as he knelt down to Lucius' level and whispered to him._

_"Considering the traitorous ideas that go through your mind when you have free reign of your thoughts Lucius…yes you are."_

_The Dark Lord disaparated away. Then hell began. Rookwood immobilized them all so they could not turn away or close their eyes while he had his fun. The entire time the girl cried out and fought and pleaded for help. Rookwood masked his voice to match Avery's and told her how pretty she was, then he changed it to Lucius' and whispered how good she felt and how beautiful she was. That little girl would never want to be called beautiful ever again He fought against the confines of the spell as much as he could but it was no use. Having been beaten before he got there and his mind being weak from being controlled for so long he had no will power. He tried to block out her screams, put himself into another place where he could no longer witness the horrors before him but it was no use. So he let himself watch, storing away every moment that little girl suffered and silently promised her and himself that he would take revenge. He may not be able to take the Dark Lord but he would be able to handle Rookwood without fail. He would not let this go unpunished._

_It was hours before Rookwood was done. He gave the girl a mocking kiss to which she gave no response before he turned to the other three._

_"I hope you lot stuff up again," he laughed, "That was fun."_

_Then he disaparated and the spell lifted. Lucius fell flat on his face, Avery collapsed against the wall and Bella let out a long awaited cry of pain. For the first time since he had met his sister in-law she had tears in her eyes as she crawled over to the little girl. She was unconscious, bleeding, broken and bruised and it was more than likely that she would die unless something was done. But Bella was clearly not in her right mind. She was sobbing and clutching onto the girl's naked form, trying to give comfort to the poor thing the only way she knew how. He had seen her once after the first raid he had attended back in the first war where she had been like this. She had witnessed something similar and Narcissa had held onto her for hours before she stopped shaking. This was all she knew._

_Lucius slowly got to his feet and walked over to the pair before kneeling down again and trying to drag Bella away but she would not move. She lashed out at him, scratching his face as she slapped him._

_"Stay away from her you pig!" She screamed, "Filthy, vial men! Cruel, deceitful, horrid-"_

_"She needs a healer Bella," Avery suddenly spoke from behind him._

_"We don't know enough to help her," Lucius said softly, "Let us take her to St Mungo's."_

_"No! Don't touch her! Evil, wretched, twisted-"_

_"We can't help her here," Avery reminded her, "We promise not to hurt her."_

_"Men never keep their promises!" She screeched, "Liars! All of you!"_

_Lucius fleetingly wondered why the hell she got married if she hated men so much._

_"He promised he wouldn't hurt me," she sobbed to the girl, "He promised he wouldn't let this happen again…"_

_Lucius took a deep breath._

_"He promised us many things Bella," Lucius told her, placing a hand on her shoulder which she was too distracted to shake off, "But we can not dwell here. The mother would have alerted the Aurors. We look responsible for this."_

_Bella's face started to clear slightly. It was only then that she noticed the blood on her robes. She looked down at it confusedly until she looked back at the little girl. She felt some of it on her arm and looked at it. It was then she noticed the mark was green._

_"That's not right," she muttered. Lucius looked at it and silently nodded before turning back to her face._

_"Let us take her to St Mungo's," he asked of her, "Please."_

_She slowly let go of the dying girl who groaned now the contact was gone. Lucius slowly picked her up and turned to Avery._

_"Side along with me," he said, "I don't know if I have the strength to do it wandless."_

_He nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. They then turned back to Bella who was rocking back and forth, almost hitting her head on the brick wall._

_"What about her?" Avery asked, "She may be a bitch but she doesn't deserve to get caught here."_

_"Take me and then go back for her," Lucius told him, "I'll hide until you're back."_

_He gave a nod and they went. Lucius placed the girl on a gurney and covered her with his cloak, placing a consoling hand on what was left of her hair and removing the Darkening Charm from her eyes which remained closed. He then moved back towards Avery._

_"We will never speak of this," he hissed to him, "No one shall ever know what happened here, do you understand me? Not until Rookwood is dead."_

_Avery nodded._

_"She deserves better than that," he agreed, "I may be a bastard but I'm not that evil."_

_Lucius nodded._

_"Go and find Bella," he said and the other man instantly aparated away, leaving Lucius to hide until he returned… _

He returned from his mind's eye and gazed at Hermione once more. She was beginning to breathe heavily as the crowd fell under the spell of a stunned silence. The memory had ended for them just as it had ended for him. He instantly looked over to Melanie who was staring straight back at him and as expected she was falling to pieces once more. She let go of her mother's hand and tried to make herself as small as possible on the chair. Hermione walked up to her, unable to hide the emotion from her eyes. She hated what she was about to do and Lucius knew it.

"What did you just see?" She whispered to her.

The girl just shook her head, her mother trying to hug her but being pushed away. Hermione herself began to shake as she approached her.

"What did you see?" She repeated, a little more firmly this time.

She shook her head again. Hermione lost her resolve. Her own pain for the girl was beginning to creep forward.

"What did you see?" She yelled, her eyes blazing.

"It's a lie!" She suddenly burst forth, speaking in her own voice for the first time since the attack. Her mother looked stunned.

"It has been deemed authentic by several Curse Breakers and memory experts," Hermione replied.

"I heard him!" She screamed, "I heard him! I felt him!"

"You felt someone else," Hermione told her, "Lucius Malfoy did not-"

"Yes he did!" She cried, "It's not real! It's not real!"

Hermione's shaking intensified as she stopped directly in front of the little girl.

"What you believed," she said quietly, "Was wrong. You're running from the truth."

She just sobbed and collapsed into her chair.

"Lucius Malfoy saved your life," she told her, "If it weren't for him you would not be here. You saw in the memory that he even vowed revenge for you. "Not until Rookwood is dead" he said. He kept your secret safe from everyone else for many years living with your nightmares just as you did. You owe him everything."

She then turned on her heel and walked past her desk. She felt Severus catch her arm but she shook him off. The crowd stayed silent but the Wizenagmot suddenly burst into life.

"Come back here Granger!"

"You have explaining to do!"

"With holding evidence!"

"Stop woman!"

"Explain yourself!"

All she did was keep walking. Lucius could tell that she wasn't going to stop until she forgave herself for causing an eleven year old rape victim even more pain by showing her that everything she knew was wrong.


	16. Conversation at its Best

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**I would firstly like to say a big thank you! The reviews have really picked up and I'm starting to feel a little better about this but it has to stay that way or I'm going to issue another warning. **

**This part was a lot easier to write than the previous chapter for obvious reasons so it didn't take all that long. Hope you enjoy it!  
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**~VTM**

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Chapter Sixteen: Conversation at its best

She locked herself in her room for days after that, not once stepping out to see them or let them know that she was ok. Lucius constantly watched the steps through out the day and stopped by her door every night before he went to bed. He knew it wasn't his fault, Severus constantly reminded him of that in his own snarky way but that didn't stop him from adding another sin to his list of misdeeds. On the third day of her self-imprisonment a letter arrived informing them of the next set of trials that would soon go ahead…

_To Whom It May Concern_

_This letter has been delivered to inform you that the next hearing for Trial Number 1349076533219: The Ministry of Magic versus Lucius Abraxus Malfoy, shall take place a week from today. Please confirm your witnesses for the following hearing and send a reply urgently if you are unable to attend the trial date._

_Best wishes_

_Mathew McKinnon_

_Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Office_

"He's really got to stop using those automated letters," Rabastan muttered as he wrote a reply saying that they would be ready by then. He had effectively taken over Hermione's office and continued her work for her since she had gone into hiding. Even if she had come out after the hearing he would have taken her office anyway. No way was she in the right mind to continue at the moment, and until she accepted that what she had done was necessary she was going to suffer. There was no point in Lucius' case suffering too.

At that moment the door to the office opened and Lavender appeared with a tray in her hands loaded with tea and sandwiches.

"I don't care how invincible you think you are Lestrange," she said to him as she placed it on top of the desk before him, "You're human, you need to eat."

At the stern look on her face he gave a sigh and smiled at her before dropping his quill and picking up one of the sandwiches. She smiled back to him and sat opposite him, taking one as well. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You need company too," she told him and then took a bite. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle and take another bite.

"So how much longer have you got to go?" She asked him.

"A fair way," he informed her, "I've still got Creevey's case to settle but I can't do that without Granger. She has all the plans inside that over-sized head of hers."

"You won't be getting anything out of her any time soon," Lavender told her, "I tried to get her to eat something before but she still wouldn't open the door."

"She won't," he shook his head, "Not until she forgives herself."

"And knowing Hermione that could take a very long time," Lavender sighed.

"We don't have that kind of time," he told her with a small note of frustration, "Granger needs to snap herself out of it or we're going to lose. Everything we worked for will go down the drain and Malfoy will go back to prison."

"Lucius doesn't deserve it," she agreed. He started to stare at her as though she had two heads.

"'Lucius' doesn't deserve it?" He asked, "Since when do you call him by his first name?"

"Since after the hearing when he and I had a nice long chat…"

_Lavender moved quietly along the halls of Hermione's home with trays floating after her in quick succession. Hermione may have taken her wand but she had never told the clever little witch that she had learned simple wandless magic a long time ago. She couldn't help but feel slightly smug at the fact she finally knew something that the famous Hermione Granger didn't but as she passed the poor witch's door that smugness died and was replaced with sympathy._

_She had only had to watch that memory once and even then she had turned away several times. Hermione had been forced to watch it not once but twice and had to keep her eyes open the entire time for fear of missing some important detail. Add to that the fact that she had to shatter what little security the victim of said memory had…well, Lavender acknowledged that the girl had a legitimate reason to hide away to say the least. She deserved to have this moment to…do whatever it was she was doing in that room of hers. She'd been in there for hours. Lavender decided not to disturb her and simply walked over to the door opposite. She gave a loud knock before being told to enter. She saw him sitting at the large writing desk at the back of the room composing a letter to someone before he turned around and acknowledged her presence._

_"I've made dinner for everyone," she told him, "But it seems they all want to eat in their rooms."_

_"After what they've just seen I am not at all surprised," he nodded, "Why is it you don't hide away?"_

_"Gryffindor, remember?" She smirked._

_"Miss Granger and Mr Potter are Gryffindors also," he stated._

_"And they're being brave in their own ways," Lavender told him, "Harry's being brave by talking it out with Ginny and Hermione's being brave by _quietly_ falling apart. She won't let anyone hear her scream even though it's what she wants most."_

_She saw him twitch slightly at the mention of Hermione's state of mind and knew that she probably shouldn't have said anything about her. No doubt he still felt guilty for something that wasn't his fault. But he recovered easily and turned back to her with a polite expression._

_"You seem to know a fair bit about bravery," he said. "Please, sit."_

_She bit her bottom lip for a few moments before placing his tray on a table and taking a seat on his sofa after being offered the chance._

_"I do," she said, "I'm not as innocent as people think I am…or as dumb."_

_"I believe you when you say you are less than idiotic," he told her, "The way you have gone about researching for my case has proven that. However, I could not possibly believe you are not as innocent as you seem."_

_"People forget that I fought in the war too," she told him, "It's ok, a lot of people become easy to forget next to Harry and Hermione, not just me. And it's not like I want the fame anyway. But I fought like they did, saw what they saw…that kind of thing changes you."_

_"Yes it does," he agreed easily, "War has a way of changing everything, not just how others see you but how you see others."_

_She nodded. Then a thought came to mind. Perhaps she could ease some of his agony, just a little bit. Just one small piece of honesty could change someone's day. She knew she couldn't make him feel completely better, but she could at least give him something to hope for. After today, surely he would need it._

_"The way I see _you_ has certainly changed," she said to him, "A great deal."_

_He looked at her with an expression of polite inquisition._

_"How so?" He asked her._

_She looked down for a few moments before she looked back up at him with an honest expression in her eyes._

_"What you did for Melanie Cooper," she said, noticing him flinch again but continuing regardless, "It was very brave of you. Not only that, but the way you are now coming forward in the hopes that some of the others might be freed of the things that were not their fault…Sometimes I think we sort too quickly at Hogwarts."_

_Lucius looked at her strangely for a few moments and Lavender thought at first that she may have said something wrong but then his face softened and a very small smile was present on his lips, barely noticeable but still there._

_"Thank you," he almost whispered. She smiled back at him._

_"You're welcome Mr Malfoy," she said as she stood and was about to move out the door._

_"I hope you will do me the honour of calling me Lucius in future," he said to her. She turned back to him for a moment in confusion but smiled once more._

_"Of course…Lucius."_

"It was weird to say the least," Lavender told him after she had finished recounting the memory, "But I meant everything I said. He doesn't deserve to go to prison."

Rabastan stared at her for a few moments before looking away into the fireplace.

"I witnessed something like that yesterday," he confessed to her, "Potter's wife was sitting downstairs while I was in the kitchen…then Malfoy came down…"

_Rabastan made quick work of the soup that Lavender had left for him on the counter, vanishing it without a trace. That woman would kill him if she knew he wasn't eating but over the past day and a half he just hadn't been hungry. Granger may have taken his wand away but he had never told her that he was capable of simple wandless charms. He took a little pride in the fact that he was able to keep something from the nosey Know-It-All. His pride disappeared when he thought of her though._

_She hadn't deserved anything that had come her way lately. Between an idiot client who wouldn't tell her everything she needed to know, a bunch of secretive and un co-operative witnesses and a team that wouldn't know how to work together even if Voldemort suddenly returned trying to take over the world again, he didn't know how she coped with it all. He decided then and there to take some of the weight off her shoulders and start taking on more of her work load. It wasn't like he had anything else to do anyway. He never got clients unless they were directed his way by her anyway and even then they were reluctant to accept his services. He owed her and he knew it._

_He was about to go back upstairs when he heard a muffle from the other room. In a typical Slytherin fashion he walked over to the lounge door and peeked through the tiny crack, listening with keen ears. He was surprised to see Ginerva Potter and Lucius Malfoy in the same room. He drew his wand just in case. He had heard tales from many of the youngest former Weasley's temper and leaving her alone with someone she believed to be a convicted Death Eater was not the best idea. Where was Snape when you needed him?_

_They were standing on opposite sides of the room, Ginny glaring at the man and he staring past her at the opposite wall. Their postures were completely ridged and neither looked as though they were willing to move, Ginny perhaps from either fear or anger and Malfoy…Rabastan had no idea._

_"Harry told me everything the night I got here," she said quietly, "How you claimed to be innocent."_

_Malfoy said nothing but continued to stare past her as though she had said nothing at all._

_Ginny shook her head._

_"I didn't believe him," she spat, "There was no way in hell that you could be innocent. The way you went about gaining Hermione's services told me that much right from the very beginning."_

_"I did what I had to," he rasped._

_She snorted._

_"You 'did what you had to'?" She asked coldly, "Is that the excuse you're going to give when they ask you about the battle in the Department of Mysteries? Is that what you're going to say when they talk about the Quidditch World Cup?"_

_She took a menacing step forward and Rabastan clutched his wand tighter, his knuckles almost turning white._

_"Is that what you're going to tell me now?" She asked him, "That you did what you had to when you put Riddle's diary in my cauldron?"_

_Lucius flinched at the thought as did Rabastan. He had no idea how Hermione was going to defend him against that one. No doubt Ron would bring it up in the trial and there was no way that Lucius was being controlled by the Dark Lord by that point. To Rabastan's surprise Lucius did not exit the room or start flinging mud back at the young woman. He instead straightened himself up and looked at her honestly._

_"I have done many dishonourable things in my life," he told her, "Many things of which I am ashamed. Helping that monster possess you is on top of that list."_

_Ginny appeared to be shocked. Of all the things she had expected from this meeting, Rabastan could tell that this apology, this show of shame and remorse, was not one of them._

_"Were it not for my own possession," Lucius told her, "Had I not felt what you felt I would not feel as shameful as I do for my actions. But as fate would have it, I did feel it, every last moment."_

_Ginny was staring at him with a mingled expression of disbelief, cold remembrance and grief in her eyes._

_"I'd never felt so helpless or out of control in my life," he told her, "For three years I could see everything going on around me and not do anything about it. The small moments I had control of myself became such nightmares because of the sins I had committed whilst I was being controlled by a mad man. My wife and child would no longer speak to me until Narcissa finally distinguished between myself and the Death Eater I was made to be. She had no idea what was really going on but she knew when she was with her husband and when she was with…someone else."_

_Ginny couldn't even look at him now and averted her eyes to the floor as she silently shook._

_"But what you must have gone through…I can not even imagine."_

_Her eyes shot up to him again in another bout of shock and pain._

_"Eleven years old," he whispered in disgust with himself, "With a maniac inside your head all because you were just _there_. You didn't deserve it, you had done nothing wrong. Just an innocent child there at the wrong place, at the wrong time, suffering because of one man's unimaginable mistake. What I went through pales in comparison to what you must have suffered."_

_Ginny averted her eyes from him once more but Rabastan was shocked to see tears in her eyes as she sniffed a bit to try and gain control of herself. She wiped her eyes furiously and then stared back at him, most of her anger drained from her expression and replaced with reluctant understanding._

_"I was lucky," she whispered to him, "I only had him for a year. Things could have been much worse if Harry hadn't…"_

_She stared at the floor again._

_"I don't forgive you for this," she said quietly, "The poison that monster poured into my ear will stay with me for the rest of my life. I can't forgive you for that."_

_Lucius nodded in acknowledgement._

_"What I can do," she continued as she looked up at him again, "Is promise you that I won't say anything untrue or damaging on the stand just to send you back to prison. I'm not my brother, nor do I believe that sending you back there would make the nightmares go away."_

_Lucius nodded again._

_"You are far wiser than others give you credit for Mrs Potter," he told her._

_"Bloody well hope so," she muttered, "I've been hanging around Hermione long enough."_

_Lucius smirked at the comment and then sobered again quickly as he stared at the woman before him._

_"May we consider this matter closed?" He asked her, "At least until it is reopened by the trial? Of course if there is anything else you wish to confront me about-"_

_"No," she shook her head, "Harry covered most of it for me and I can draw my own conclusions. This was the only thing that…"_

_"Yes," he nodded again, "I can understand."_

_She turned to walk away from him but stopped at the door and turned back to him._

_"Thank you Mr Malfoy," she said softly, "I had sought you out with the intent of…I don't know what my intent was, but this was far more than I could have hoped for."_

_"Not all of us _want_ to be monsters Mrs Potter," he said back, "Some of us try to change our scales even though we know it is impossible."_

_She gave a nod and turned away again but was caught by his voice._

_"And you may feel free to call me Lucius," he told her, pausing for a moment as she turned back, "When you are ready for it."_

Lavender stared at him in shock when he finished.

"Wow," she whispered, "That wasn't something I expected."

"Nor I," he answered, "I was ready the entire time for her to curse his sorry arse but it never came. Either his powers of deception are far greater than we thought or he genuinely is sorry for everything he's done, even the things he wasn't really responsible for."

Lavender nodded again.

"Have you noticed he's stopped hanging out in his room all the time?" She asked him, "He's out in the lounge with us, eats dinner with us, and starts conversations…"

"Yeah I have," Rabastan nodded to her, "And while I don't find anything particularly fascinating about him, Aria seems completely captivated."

"You leave her alone with him?" Lavender asked incredulously.

"I don't see any reason why not to anymore," Rabastan told her, "He's innocent and we all know it. Besides, I would be a bloody hypocrite if I told him to bugger off just because he was a Death Eater once."

"Yeah," Lavender agreed, "I can see your point."

"Besides I think she's completely safe," he told her, "Snape is always with her too and nothing ever gets past him."

"What is it with that girl of yours?" She asked, "She seems to love being around former Death Eaters."

"No," Rabastan shook his head, "Not former Death Eaters. Innocent men. She's so much like her mother. She could always see the truth a mile away, far before anyone else."

"Lestrange," Lavender began carefully, "Who-"

The door to the office suddenly burst open. Harry stood there with an expression of pure fright in his eyes.

"Hermione's gone."

***

Lucius sat in the middle of the lounge as Potter panicked, Ginny fretted and Lavender paced. Rabastan and Snape had put their heads together in the corner to try and figure out what was going on where as Narcissa and Blaise sat on the sofa together simply watching the parade and Forster was close to laughing at them all.

"My, my," he giggled, "What friends Miss Granger has."

"Shut it Forster, unless you have something to contribute," Rabastan snapped.

"I hate it when she does this," Harry vented to his wife, "Why can't she just be sane like the rest of us!"

"Because she isn't in a _sane_ frame of mind at the moment is she Potter?" Severus sneered, "She'll do as she pleases until her logical mind decides to make an appearance again. For someone who claims to be her best friend you don't appear to know her all that well."

"Logic." Lavender suddenly said. They all looked up at her as she stopped pacing.

"What?" Rabastan asked.

"Logic," she repeated, "Where is the most logical place for her to go right now?"

They all looked at her strangely and Lucius couldn't help but furrow his brow in confusion too as he stared at her. Hermione was nowhere near logical at that moment. Why would she go somewhere logical?

Lavender seemed to get their silent question.

"I don't mean _her_ logical," she said irately, "I mean _our _logical. Take into account everything we know about her. Where would she go if she was emotionally distraught, in need of comfort but not wanting to seek it and feeling like she's a complete monster?"

They all sat there and thought about it but no one came up with any ideas. Lavender instantly started pacing again, Harry and Ginny quickly started listing names and the others just sat in silence.

"Neville?" Harry asked her.

"No," she shook her head, "He wouldn't understand and he's got too much to do during the school year. What about Luna?"

"Nah she's too…obscure for Hermione's taste. Padma or Pavarti?"

"She barely knows them. What about Charlie or Bill? They're not as involved in this as Mum and Dad or Ron."

"She wouldn't risk it. What about George? They're pretty close."

"It's worth a try," she said, "I'll drop in on him shall I?"

"You aren't going anywhere without me," he told her and then turned to the others, "Just because she isn't here doesn't mean we can ignore her rules. If you go anywhere, you go in pairs."

Most nodded where as other rolled their eyes. It seemed that some of the others had come up with ideas too. As Harry and Ginny left for George's shop, Severus and Rabastan left for the Ministry and Lavender, taking a rather reluctant Forster with her, decided to try Melanie Cooper's home just in case. This left Lucius with Narcissa, Blaise and Aria who had just walked in.

"What's going on?" She asked as she went to sit next to Lucius.

"Hermione's gone missing," he told her.

She looked puzzled for a moment but then shook her head.

"No she hasn't," she said, "She went to that nasty Law Enforcer's place about an hour ago."

"Nasty Law Enforcer?" Narcissa asked her quietly.

"Yeah," she said as she yawned slightly, "The one with the blond hair that looks like he's got dung under his nose."

Lucius and Narcissa's eyes met across the room and Blaise rolled his.

"Trust Granger to be so stupid as to stumble into enemy territory," he said as he stood, "I'll go and get her."

He disappeared through the fireplace leaving both Narcissa and Lucius alone in the room as Aria went to the kitchen for a snack.

"Please tell me you find this just as worrying as I do," Narcissa said to her former husband.

"Why would I find it worrying?" He asked.

"Because our son is married and he's got Granger running to him every five seconds," she told him.

Lucius simply stared. Her eyes widened.

"He didn't tell you?" She asked.

"Why would he?" He asked back. She nodded in ascent.

"He told very few," she said, "I doubt that Granger even knows. He doesn't even wear his wedding ring these days."

"Why keep it secret?" Lucius asked, "It's not like he has anything to hide."

"Imagine the backlash that his wife would be getting for this Lucius," she told him, "He had planned on coming clean this year but then your trial came up."

"So you think that he's making up for it by having an affair with Granger?" Lucius asked her disbelievingly, "Of all the theories you have come up with in your time Narcissa that has to be the most ridiculous."

She rolled her eyes.

"You're just letting your attraction to her cloud your judgement," she said.

Lucius was about to retort when Blaise came back…alone.

"Where is she?" Lucius asked him.

"Apparently she was a complete mess when she came through," he told them, "So Malfoy sent her to some island to cool off."

"L'île de Repentir," Lucius muttered as he met Narcissa's gaze once more.

"He also said that he wasn't going to go and get her until he thought she was good and ready," Blaise said, "So what are we going to do?"

Narcissa looked back at Lucius and silent communication ensued until she stood and walked over to him, presenting him with her wand. He stared at her in wonder.

"I trust you," she said, "I know you'll come back."

"Cissa what are you doing?!" Blaise said incredulously.

"What's needed," she told him before turning back to Lucius, "You know the island's enchantments will allow you to enter undetected by the Ministry. And because I am no longer a Malfoy I can no longer enter through its barriers. You're the only one who can go."

"I could send you there," Lucius told her.

"I wouldn't know what to say to her," she told him quietly, kneeling down and placing her hands on his knees, "She needs you. You and only you. You're the only one who knows what she needs to get through this."

She offered him the wand again.

"You could be thrown in prison for this," he said to her quietly.

"So long as you come back I have nothing to worry about," she told him, "And I trust you to do so."

He stared into her eyes for a few moments before he leaned forward quickly and placed a kiss on her forehead and taking the wand from her hand.

"Thank you," he whispered before he moved outside quickly and apparated away.

Blaise stared at his wife in disbelief.

"What have you done?" He whispered.

As she gazed out to the spot where Lucius had once been she took in a deep calming breath and replied.

"The right thing," she said, pausing to close her eyes, "I hope."


	17. What Freedom Looks Like

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**First off, a big huge thank you to all those who have been reviewing! Even though I don't get much time to reply it is always appreciated! Please keep it up.**

**Secondly...LEMONS AHOY! I have to say that I rather enjoyed writing this chapter but this is actually my first lemon scene so please be nice! I'm not at all confident about that bit so please let me know what you think!  
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**Thanks guys!  
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**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Seventeen: What Freedom Looks Like

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Narcissa cringed as she let Lestrange loose on her with all the pent up ferocity he had been dying to let loose over the past couple of days.

"OF ALL THE STUPID, IDIOTIC THINGS YOU COULD DO, YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE _LUCIUS MALFOY,_ A CONVICTED DEATH EATER-"

"An innocent man," Lavender reminded him softly.

"Innocent or not he's still supposed to be under house arrest!" He seemed to calm slightly at Lavender's words, "You've risked everything!"

"Regardless of what my son may think," Narcissa finally decided to defend herself, "And regardless of the wizarding public's opinion, Lucius is an honourable man. He will come back and he will have Miss Granger in toe."

"And what on earth makes you so sure?" Harry spat, "It was his memory that put her in this state!"

"Which makes him the only one who can talk her through it," Blaise took up for his wife, "He experienced it first hand. He knows what she's going through."

"But from what you've told us it sounds like he could stay on the island and never be found," Ginny told them, "The way you've described the wards suggests that no one can get in or out without expressed permission from a Malfoy."

"It's also unplottable and magically concealed," Narcissa nodded, "There's no safer place for either of them to be."

"It also means that he could just stay there and there would be nothing we could do about it," Lavender said logically.

"No."

They all turned to face Forster who was smirking at them all.

"In all your haste to try and find her you had forgotten that she is the smartest witch of the age," he said to them, "In your haste to find her safe and sound you also forgot who she is friends with. She is more among the snakes than the lions you know. And now in your haste to get them both back-"

"We also forget that there is another Malfoy on this side of the world who also knows where she is," Rabastan groaned, "Draco could walk in on them at any moment."

"And he would instantly run to the ministry," Blaise said.

"And they would throw Lucius back in prison," Narcissa gasped, "What have I done?"

***

He landed slightly unsteady on the sandy beach of L'île de Repentir. It had been so long since he had apparated, so long since he had felt the power of having a wand in his hand, even if it was Narcissa's and it didn't quite work for him properly. He dusted himself off and took a look at his surroundings.

It was just as he remembered. White sandy beach with crystal clear waters now tainted by the black of night and forest just behind it scattered with palm trees and fruits of all exotic flavours. It felt good to smell the salt air once more, to feel the spray of the sea on his face and the wind whip in his hair. It was absolutely wonderful. It felt…free. It was so tempting for him to remove his dragon hide boots and feel the sand between his toes but he kept his wits about him as he walked the beach and scanned the area for the one he had come for. Narcissa had been right; he was an honourable man and would return just as he had promised her, just like she trusted him to do. He walked at a quicker pace than he normally would have if he was here only by himself and let his eyes drift over the white sand ahead. Shadows crept about him and he heard whispers of the night as he ventured onwards. He was more than sure that he was being paranoid but it didn't stop him from jumping slightly when his trousers caught on a piece of drift wood. As he unhinged himself from the offending object he looked up and finally saw her.

She sat there on the waters edge, her knees hugged to her chest as she stared out into nothingness, a complete ghost of the woman he knew. Her hair flew wildly about her in the coming winds and she did nothing to still it. Instead, she fumbled with the black vial around her neck, her delicate fingers skimming over the glass, caressing it. He didn't even what to think about what she was thinking about doing with it at that moment. To his surprise her cheeks were completely untainted by tears. She hadn't cried at all since the day of the hearing, not once. Perhaps Lavender had been wrong about her silently falling apart…back then. Perhaps that was what Granger was waiting for, what she was staring after in the ocean. Permission to fall apart. He walked over to her slowly, as though not to frighten her and she didn't even look up when his boot slightly nudged her still form.

"How did you know I was here?" She whispered, barely audible over the whipping wind. It became abundantly obvious that a storm was coming as a fork of lightning flashed over the sea and thunder roared its approval.

"Aria told me that you went to Draco," he said to her, "Blaise went and saw him…"

"And told him that he sent me to an island and wasn't going to retrieve me until I was good and ready?" She asked, still completely blank, "I knew he'd say that. He always looks out for me."

"He's very…fond of you," he told her, choosing his words carefully, "I daresay that he might even love you."

"Draco and I share a minor flirtation so as to keep the media off his back," she said quietly, "Love has nothing to do with it."

"I disagree," Lucius shook his head, "I may not have seen him in a long time but he has not changed all that much. I know my son. He would not have sent you here to think had he no feelings for you."

"If he does they are strictly plutonic," she told him. For some reason Lucius took slight comfort in this fact. There was a pause between them as they watched the sea turn and flip in anger and the thunder strike its approval. They listened to the thunder roar in the distance, creating music for the delicate dance.

"I don't suppose I should ask how you got here," she said expressionlessly.

"No," he told her, "It would just put you in a difficult position."

She nodded again and there was another pause, all the while she didn't take her eyes off of the show before them. Not once did she look up to him, not once did she seek comfort in him. She just sat there and stared and played with the potion. Finally, after long minutes of silence she spoke again, the real conversation now beginning to unfold.

"Why do I feel so numb?" She whispered, "I can't feel anything anymore."

He looked over to her. She still wasn't crying like he expected her to. Either she was stronger than he thought or she was completely blocked.

"Because you're torn," he answered her easily, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Between what?" She asked, "I don't even know anymore."

"Between your objectives," he told her softly, "And how you feel about those objectives now that you've had a taste of the worst consequences they bring."

She shuddered slightly but still did not look at him.

"She was beginning to heal," she said quietly as another round of thunder clashed with lightning and a tiny droplet of water landed on her hand, "She was starting to use magic again, she was starting to feel better and I took that away from her."

"No," he said to her, "You gave her the truth that she needed. Now she has the right person to blame and knows that at least one more person is in her corner."

"She'll never accept it now," she shook her head, "Not with Rookwood on the run. She'll never heal as long as he is alive and unpunished. When she thought it was you and knew you were in Azkaban, suffering, she had something to cling onto, something to draw comfort from…what kind of a monster takes that comfort away?"

He wheeled around and stared at her in shock.

"You were right," she continued, "I am a monster in the courtroom. The people I've broken, made suffer just to get a confession…I'm no better than-"

"No," he said, finally grabbing hold of her, cupping her face in his hands and staring her hard in the eye. He wouldn't let her do this. It wasn't right.

"Don't say it," he whispered, his gaze intent upon her own as he forced her away from the sea, "If you say it, you will believe it and you can not afford to believe it. It would break you."

"But it _is_ true," she said to him, "I forced Avery to give me the memory, I _tried_ to force it out of you, I took every last inch of that little girl's comfort and all for-"

"What you knew was right," he finished for her, "You did what you had to and no one can blame you for that."

"Then why can I do nothing but blame myself?"

He stared at her for the longest time until she scrunched up her eyes and took in shuddering breaths. He saw how fragile she was then, how she could break at any moment and never recover. He knew then that held the power. He saw everything that she had been trying to hide from the very beginning, every inch of steel that his case had forced into her heart and twisted into knots. He had her answer, as simple and plain as day and yet as conflicting as the lightning that threatened to strike them at any moment.

"Because you're human," he said simply, still boring into her eyes.

"So were they," she spat. Finally, some emotion, "So was Voldemort once."

"They were evil," he told her, "The absolute epitome of evil, wanting to hurt anyone and anything in their path to try and achieve their goals."

"I-"

"You are not the same," he told her firmly, "You didn't want to tell Melanie the truth but you did so because you had to. You didn't want to kill Dolohov on the battlefield but you did so because you had to-"

"How did you-?"

"I just do," he told her, "The point is that you are nothing like they are or were, nothing like I am or was and you never will be."

She bowed her head in his hands and refused to meet his gaze again. He could feel cracks in her safely guarded walls beginning to form, tiny blemishes in her otherwise perfect defence.

"I just want to feel human again," she whispered as another flash of thunder and lightning passed over their vision, "For so long all I've felt is…I just want to be human again, not this monster I've created to try and get through the day…this well oiled machine of organisation and analysis that tries to hide it all away…"

She finally met his eyes again, a silent plea to him as the rain finally began to fall. Small droplets of frustration, anger and hurt finally came tumbling to the ground as she stared at him, all defences dropped and suddenly asking for the very thing she needed.

"Make me feel human again, Lucius," she whispered, "Please."

He stared at her for a few moments. There was only one way he knew how to do that, one way that would make her feel again and dispel the numbness she had been feeling for so long. What he didn't know was if it was worth it. Their relationship would change, their mindsets and opinions permanently altered. As he stared down at her pleading face he couldn't turn her down. To see the life and the fire back in her eyes…yes, it would be worth it.

As the rain pelted their bodies he crushed his lips to hers. She was shocked for only a few moments and then began to respond vigorously. He felt her desperation with every lash of her tongue, every claw of her hand on his back and he returned it to show her that she wasn't alone. He laid her down, his hands travelling up her thighs as he attacked her neck in earnest, desperate to show her that she was different, that she was softer, had feelings, had a heart. He didn't stop her taking control and rolling him onto his back. If anything she needed to take control. So many decisions she should have made over the past month had been made for her and only this one had been her own.

She claimed his lips again as he slid his hands further up her thighs and found the creamy flesh of her stomach and back. She shivered as he grazed his nails over sensitive skin and still his hands climbed higher, taking the material of her dress with him. She started to feel everything again in that moment. Heat finally made its way back into her body. Every dark thought she had been thinking over the past seventy two hours finally left her mind as all coherent thought stopped and raw instinct took over. He flipped her onto her back once more as he himself lost control and started to feel rather than think.

As the rain crashed down upon them it wasn't long before he removed her dress entirely and she made short work of his shirt and robes leaving only his trousers as he slipped his boots firmly from his feet. The coldness that had engulfed her since the trial had began finally started to lift and she felt everything around her. Lucius' powerful body above, the grainy sand below, the tide at her feet and the rocks at her head. Everything was clear through sight and sound and touch and smell and as his tongue invaded her moth once more taste made itself apparent. She felt her senses sharpen even further when she felt his hand inside her knickers and his lips once more at her neck and she couldn't help but reach down to stroke him, to show him what she was feeling, to let him know that what he was doing was working. The thunder roared as she felt a rumble in his chest at her ministrations and she knew he felt it too. His free hand found one breast as his mouth found the other and caressed them through the fabric of her bra, igniting more passion, making her feel more and more and more of what was going on around her.

It didn't take them long to remove their undergarments or anything else that was left to separate them. As the rain mixed with their sweat and the sea and the lightning danced around them Hermione finally felt real, finally felt like she mattered, like she was worthy and that she didn't have to hide. But she needed to feel complete.

"Please," she whispered to him, "Please."

He gazed at her intently, not sure anymore in his resolve. But she was better. He could see it in her eyes that she wasn't numb, that she didn't feel like a monster. That passion in her eyes was what made up his mind. With a swiftness that he didn't know he possessed he entered her and they gasped together at the contact. Skin to skin, flesh to flesh, she felt it all and revelled in it. With each powerful thrust, with each possessive kiss he breathed life back into her mind, body and soul until they both came to their end. He almost collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily as they finished, but managed to roll over to her side. He gazed up at the thundering skies for a few minutes as he came down from the wondrous high that she had given him and felt her doing the same. He then felt her begin to shake and as he looked over to her wet, sand covered form, he realised that for the first time since the ordeal had begun…the flood gates had opened.

He had freed her of the constraints that had imprisoned her since the beginning. The dam began to break, those cracks became crevices and her intense concentration and guard finally broke. It wasn't his fault, he knew it wasn't and so he was able to watch as Hermione suddenly broke into fits of sobs and let all the frustrations that had blocked her, all the pain that she felt and all the anger finally leak out in tiny salt tears. And so he did the only thing that he could do. He placed a shoddy warming charm over the two of them and held her there as she cried out along with the thunder, the lightning and the rain.

Eventually she stopped and managed to get enough of a hold over herself in order to thank him before she fell into a deep sleep, draped over his chest. All he did was hold her tighter and eventually drift off himself.

They awoke the next morning with the sun shining on their faces, blurring their vision into obscurity. Hermione tried to roll over onto her stomach to escape its rays but found herself blocked by the hard chest of Lucius Malfoy. As the night's events and the events of the past few days slowly came back to her, she gazed up at him. She really looked at him in that moment with his blond hair and flawless pale skin and the muscled physique that had taught her how to feel all over again. She realised then that he had always been physically beautiful but now, to her he was beautiful in essence as well. He could have left her there to her own musings and let her deal with it in her own time but what she had wanted, what she had needed, was to speed up the process. For that she would always be grateful to him.

She saw him gazing down at her too and a silent agreement was reached. They each moved from each others arms and moved around to find their clothing. Their soaking wet, salt and sand covered clothing. Lucius had to turn his boots upside down to remove the water that was lodged within. Hermione twisted all her garments into knots in order to drain them. As they finally covered themselves up Hermione looked over to him. She had to make herself perfectly clear.

"It can't happen again," she said quietly, "I'm more than grateful that you were willing to help me in…any way you could but-"

"I know," he said equally as quiet, "It was a necessity and not an indulgence."

She looked on the verge of contradicting him but seemed to change her mind.

"Best not say anything to the others," Lucius suddenly said, "Severus and Potter have finally gotten past wishing to hex one another. This would just put them back at square one…especially with his wife there. Her temper is legendry."

"And I would hate for you to face their scorn," she told him, "They won't understand that it was indeed a necessity."

He nodded again and they began to walk to the apparation point together. Out of nowhere Hermione gave a soft chuckle. Lucius looked at her strangely.

"This is completely absurd," she said to him, "Not once in a million years did I ever believe that I would have ended up shagging Lucius Malfoy on some deserted island that his son sent me too. It's completely and utterly ridiculous."

She laughed again, this time a little louder. Lucius suddenly realised that it was the first time that he had actually heard her laugh…ever. He suddenly found himself fighting off the familiar tickle of laughter himself as he watched her smile into the sunlight. Her hair was even bushier than usual, she was soaked and dirty from head to toe and he couldn't help but notice that she had a few bruises from where he had grabbed her so roughly the night before. She was a complete and utter mess and yet she had never looked so beautiful. She had truly and utterly let go of all that had been weighing her down and as a result she looked stronger and more resolute than ever. It was highly compelling.

"You're right," he couldn't stop himself from speaking, "Imagine what your broom-headed ex-husband would do if he found out?"

She snorted and looked at him with the most mischievous smile.

"I'm considering telling him just to see the show," she said, giggling again, "It would be absolutely spectacular. And he was ready to commit murder when I told him I was defending you? Pfft. He'd absolutely die if he found out that this happened."

Lucius couldn't help but smirk also. She looked so young as he stared at her now, so free. He had never seen anything like it before. She used to be full of age old trials and constraints and now she was completely and utterly free. Breathtaking.

He suddenly saw her bite her bottom lip.

"What is it?" He asked her softly.

"Your back," she said, "I guess I must have lost it a bit. I didn't mean to…"

He reached a hand to his left shoulder blade and hissed slightly when his fingers made contact with the many open scratches there. He then looked her over and shook his head.

"It appears that I was less than gentle also," he said as he pointed to both her arms and back where bruises and a rash lay from the sand. She looked herself over and raised her eyebrows at her…injuries.

"I hadn't even noticed until now," she told him as they finally reached their destination. Without even thinking about it he pulled her close to him and she melded herself into his body and the tight pull of apparation ensued. As they landed on her property Hermione stayed exactly where she was and Lucius was unwilling to move as well.

"Thank you, Lucius," she whispered to him, "I know that this is probably going to change everything and that I more than likely won't be able to look at you when we enter the house but…Thank you."

He gave her a brief nod as she pulled back to look at him.

"Next time instead of wandering half way across the world," he said to her coyly, "Just remember that my room is just across the hall."

She let out the most delicious of laughs and smiled all the way back to the house…that was until the assault began from their housemates. The moment they entered the living room the explosion began. To her absolute fright, Rabastan whipped out his wand and threw a curse in Lucius' direction. It hit and he was instantly on the ground and bound by a tight incarcerous.

"What the hell?!" Hermione asked.

"He broke his parole agreements!" Rabastan roared, "The ministry should be here at any minute to arrest him and this time I'm not letting him get away."

Hermione couldn't help but let the words spill from her lips.

"You idiot."

"What?" He asked, staring at her as though she had two heads.

"You heard me," she said, "Do you really think I would have let him come back if he was going to be taken back to Azkaban? I checked the wards myself when I arrived. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out without a Malfoy's approval and it has enough enchantments to stop the ministry gaining any sort of magical signature or data from any kind of magical activity. Now remove that spell or I will personally make sure that you never have anymore children!"

Rabastan did as he was told but he was now staring at her like the rest of the household. Before he could ask any questions, Hermione got to him first.

"And where the hell did you find that wand?" She asked him. He suddenly seemed to notice that he still had it out.

"I, ah…well you see…"

"Yeah," Harry suddenly said as he stepped forward, "Did you find our wands too?"

"Err…well um…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lavender demanded as she stepped forward, looking rather peeved at the sight.

"Because-"

"Because he knew that if he told you all where your wands were, Hermione would know that you had them back without her permission," Lucius smirked as he got up off of the floor, "Isn't that right Lestrange? You wanted your wand so badly that you decided everyone else could do without."

"Git," he muttered and at the stern look that Hermione gave him he handed it over. She then vanished it to a new hiding spot as well as all the others.

"Speaking of wands," Lucius said as he stepped towards his ex-wife, "I believe this is yours."

She smiled to him in thanks and accepted it back.

"I knew you would come back," she said to him.

"What happened to you two anyway?" Blaise suddenly asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said as she scrunched her face up at Hermione's attire, "You look as though one of those Blast-Ended Skrewts Hagrid used to keep has gone and eaten you for breakfast."

Hermione looked at Lucius and Lucius looked at Hermione. She had to repress a smile at the memory of their conversation that morning but turned back to them all.

"We spent the night on the beach," she told them simply, "My magic wasn't working all that well until this morning and Lucius was using a wand that wasn't his. The best we could manage was a shoddy Warming Charm. It didn't help that we were in the middle of a storm."

They seemed to buy it. Harry then stepped forward and put a hand on her slimy shoulder.

"So are you ok now?" He asked her, "You aren't going to disappear on us again?"

"I wasn't planning on it no," she told him with a smile. She seemed to be smiling a lot that morning.

"Good," Ginny said as she stepped forward and hugged her tightly, "Because if you ever do that to me again I swear I will hex your arse off and mount it on my bedroom wall."

"What a lovely visual," Hermione laughed. Harry seemed to make a start at the sound. It had been so long since he had heard her laugh. Truly laugh. Not just a small giggle or a forced chuckle that she normally offered. A real, full, melodious laugh. It was music to his ears.

"Oh, Hermione?" Lavender came forward with several letters, "Your secretary popped through the floo last night. Dropped off some more letters."

Hermione took them with another smile and began to read. One was from the Minister for Magic summoning her to an early meeting before the hearing in order to discuss what the Cooper hearing had revealed to the Wizenagmot. Apparently they weren't as dense as they looked.

"You going to go?" Harry asked.

"I don't have much of a choice," she told him, moving onto the next one. To her surprise it was from Ron, asking her to meet him outside of Flourish and Blotts that afternoon. Her hand itched for the quill sitting by the fireplace as she smirked down at the parchment but she thought better of it and threw the letter into the fire. Lucius smirked at the gesture.

"I wish you would forgive him." Ginny said.

"No point," Hermione told her lazily, "He's already out lived his welcome in my heart. He's as much a lousy friend as he was a lousy lover."

Everyone stared at Lucius when he snorted and smirked at the witch and she smirked back. It was the last one that made her stop dead for several seconds. It was a howler from Melanie Cooper's mother.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER YOU MONSTER?! SHE WAS JUST BEGINNING TO HEAL! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH YOURSELF AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT YOU EVIL LITTLE COW!"

As it burst into flame everyone waited for an outburst of sorts from Hermione or for her to run upstairs and lock herself in her room all over again. She stiffened slightly but took a deep breath and looked up at Lucius once more.

"I'm not them," she said to both herself and to him, "I'm different and this is not my fault. Mrs Cooper is acting out on her daughter's behalf and that is all."

The entire room seemed to gape at her as Lucius nodded, knowing full well that his messages had gotten through to her last night and was glad for it.

"Right," she suddenly said, bright and sunny once more, "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go and have a bath. Lucius if you wish to take one as well there is another bathroom in the basement."

He gave a nod and she headed off. He then looked at the stunned faces of all in the room.

It was Harry who spoke before he headed off to the basement.

"Who was that and what have you done with the real Hermione Granger?"


	18. The Misfortune of Draco Malfoy

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**I have to say that the reviews were rather lacking in that last chapter. I thought for sure I would get heaps due to my horrible lemons. But oh well, hopefully you guys will make it up to me today. This chapter is a little shorter but it balances with the previous one so please R&R!**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Eighteen: The Misfortune of Draco Malfoy

The days soon passed and everything started to go back to normal. Hermione had gone to the summons that the Minister had served her with and gladly told the Wizenagmot, whom he had secretly brought with him, that she would not answer any questions that they had. Of course she had used a silly technicality to get out of it and it had rather pissed them off but there was nothing that they could do about it. She had to do what was best for her client and so they would get nothing from her until the time came.

On top of this she had replied to Ron's letter telling him in such a lovely manner that she couldn't see him due to the fact that they were on opposite sides not to mention that she wouldn't go and see him even if he was the last slimy git left on the earth to talk to and not even Voldemort himself could give her enough motivation to stay in his presence for longer than two seconds. Needless to say she had stopped grieving over the loss of friendship she had experienced for the duration of the trial.

In addition to this the hearing for the murder of Bartholomew Brindom went their way. Malfoy had mentioned in his first witness list that the witness to the crime was in fact deceased…what he had failed to mention was that he had died of liver cancer. The man was a seedy drunk who hung out in alley ways late at night to try and cop a feel of the local working girls for free. Because of this the memories that had been provided were hazy, unfocused and completely unreliable. Hermione was more than confident that this portion of the trial had gone their way. It was the next bit that was going to be hard.

"Chang isn't going to give up as easily as the others," Rabastan said one evening as they all ate dinner together, Severus and Aria choosing to take theirs in the living room as they brewed a Draught of Living Death. It seemed that she had more ability in the art of potion making than anyone had previously thought. Severus was revelling in it.

"What do you mean give up?" Harry asked, "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Plain and simple," Ginny agreed, earning a few sideways looks from those in the room.

"What we mean is that she's not going to be as easy to prove wrong as Clearwater or Cooper," Hermione said after taking a sip of tea, "Lavender are there any more dumplings?"

Lavender smiled. She was so happy that the woman had her appetite back.

"Of course," she said as she moved over to the stove.

Hermione then turned back to the rest of them.

"Cho Chang has worked at the ministry ever since she left Hogwarts," she told them, "She fought in the final battle, was awarded an Order of Merlin Third Class and does volunteer work at St Mungo's. She's a credible witness."

"But she's wrong," Narcissa said.

"Yes," Hermione nodded, "She is wrong, which is why we need to get some dirt on her quickly."

"So much for justice," Blaise rolled his eyes.

"There is a big difference between justice and the law Mr Zabini," Lucius spoke for the first time, then turned to Lavender as well, "Is there any more noodle soup Lavender?" He asked, "It was rather delicious."

Lavender smiled again, Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion and Rabastan kept eating. The rest of the table stared at all three and Ginny, being the least patient of them all, was the first to speak up.

"Since when are you two on first name basis?" She asked, "Or is Mr Malfoy being presumptuous?"

"Not at all," Lavender told her, "Lucius and I have been on first name basis for a little while now."

Hermione furrowed her brow even further as she took turns looking between the two of them. It wasn't that she was unhappy. It was about time that Lucius was forgiven at least by one person, but first name basis so quickly? Definitely unexpected.

"Do you want me to see what I can pick up?"

"What?" She asked as she came out of her reverie and turned back to Lavender.

"On Chang," she said, "Do you want me to see what I can find on Chang?"

"Oh, sure," she smiled back as she accepted her dumplings from the girl who went back to sit next to Rabastan.

"Are you alright Hermione?" Lucius asked, "You seem rather distracted this evening."

Hearing him address her by her given name certainly was distracting as far as the rest of the table was concerned. She coughed slightly and turned back to her dumplings.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered him before changing the subject, "Did the notes on the Hippogriff theft arrive today?"

"No," Rabastan rolled his eyes, "The ministry appears to be moving much slower these days. Especially when it comes to us."

Hermione was about to give a witty remark when the door to the kitchen suddenly slammed open to reveal a sandy, wet, irritated Draco. Hermione took one look at him and then closed her eyes.

"Crap," she muttered as she stood to greet him, "Draco what happened to you?"

He glared at her.

"You know _exactly_ what happened to me," he said coldly, "I spent a week looking for you on that god forsaken spit of land and do you know what I found?"

"Seaweed?" Severus drawled as he entered the room, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing!" He hissed as he stared at her, "Absolutely nothing!"

"Draco I'm sorry," Hermione said to him, "I know I should have told you when I got back but I got carried away with the Wizenagmot and Ron and-"

"Damn right you should have told me that you were back!" He snapped at her, "If you had, I wouldn't have sand in places where there shouldn't be sand!"

"What I want to know is why you sent her there in the first place."

They all turned to see Lucius staring at his son with an expression that could only be described as professional. He neither regarded him as his son nor as the man that was trying to put him in prison but as a neutral party. It seemed that he too had done some soul searching and had come back with the realisation that he wasn't going to get his family back. The best he could hope for was some kind of acquaintance.

"You know just as well as I do the dangers that island poses to those who know nothing about the charms that are placed on the surrounding sea," he said to him calmly, "Did you at least warn her? Or was this some kind of belated attempt to have her killed and me thrown back in prison?"

Draco acknowledged his father for the first time since the trial began and regarded him coldly.

"I'm not you," he said simply, "I wouldn't murder anyone just to get what I want."

If Lucius was stung by the comment he didn't show it. Narcissa however was a different story. She stepped forward and promptly slapped her son across the face. The sound seemed to echo in the little room for an eternity as the former Malfoy regarded him with a quiet fearsome rage.

"I don't care whose side you are on," she hissed at him, "You will never speak to your father in such a manor again unless you are in the courtroom and it must be done. Do you hear me? I raised you better than that."

He seemed to recoil more at his mother's words than her actions. He stepped back slightly as she stared him down.

"I too want an answer to Lucius' question," she said firmly, "Why did you send her there of all places?"

"I didn't know the charms were still active," he said genuinely, "I thought they might have faded after the Dark Lord died."

"And your fireplace doesn't dispute this theory?" Severus asked with a roll of his eyes.

Draco flinched. He obviously hadn't remembered the filtering spell that was still active over his fire. Hermione decided to take a gamble.

"What charms are you all on about?" She asked out of nowhere. Lucius then turned to her courteously and explained.

"During the war the Dark Lord took over the various islands that are bound to the Malfoy name as well as England itself," he told her, "In doing so with L'île de Repentir he placed several charms over the surrounding sea and forest. The charm over the forest was to reflect one's darkest fears and create illusions of such…the other is to maximize pain. He sent his followers there for punishment when he felt that they had been less than loyal to say the least."

"I see," she muttered, "That's why I felt ten times worse when I arrived then."

"And you would more than likely have died if you had tried to swim in that god awful storm," Lucius agreed, "You've seen the Dark Lord's work before."

"Yes," she nodded, "Especially in regards to fear and pain. Then why didn't I pick it up when I checked the wards?"

"The Dark Lord was also adept at secrecy in case you've forgotten," Severus drawled once more.

"Not even I could detect them," Lucius assured her. Draco looked in his direction sharply, comprehension suddenly dawning on his features. Hermione saw it instantly and blocked his way out before he even started, almost launching herself in front of him.

"He broke his parole," Draco said as he struggled to get her out of the way, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"You can't prove it," she said back as she clung to him.

"This will send him back. I can bloody well try."

"I won't let you Draco!"

"Get out of the way Granger!"

"No!"

He finally managed to shove her out of the way and ran to the front door. He ran out into the grounds and to the apparation point, thinking he was home free until he felt a great weight crash on top of him. Hermione had run after him and tackled him to the ground. Once she had him there, she flipped him over and straddled him, holding his arms above his head so that he couldn't get to his wand.

"He said it himself, I could have died!" She said to him desperately.

"I wouldn't have let that happen," Draco hissed at her as he struggled even further, "The fact still remains that he broke his parole! I'm putting him away Granger and you are not going to stop me!"

"You wouldn't have been able to stop it Draco!" She yelled at him, making him stop for several moments, "I was on the brink of death itself! Even without the island's charms I was in more pain than you could possibly have imagined."

"I didn't-"

"No, no," she said quickly, "It had nothing to do with you in the courtroom. It was all me. I'd been feeling like that for a long time. Just, believe me when I say that only one person could have possibly talked me down and he was there when I needed him. I'm not going to let you do this."

"Then you'll just have to fight me for it."

With an all mighty heave he shoved her off of him and onto the ground, removing his wand as she got herself up once more and drew her own. It was then as she looked at his anguished and angry visage that the answer came to her. Out of all the blackmail that Lavender had collected for her over the last month, none of it had been used…until now.

"If you do this I'll dob you in," she told him firmly. He stiffened as he looked at her.

"What?" He asked.

She placed her wand back inside her pocket, knowing that she had his attention and was not about to lose it.

"If you tell the Wizenagmot that he broke his parole then I'll tell them that you bribed McKinnon to let you take this case," she threatened, "Make no mistake Draco, if one Malfoy goes to prison then so does the other."

"Bribery isn't an offence punishable by imprisonment," he stated uneasily.

"Bribery accompanied by use of an unforgivable is."

His eyes widened and her expression became solemn.

"Your researcher may be good," she told him, "But she's even better when she's not placed under the imperius curse."

"How did you-"

"The tracking spell," Hermione told him, "The one that she tried to give to Lavender that day at the ministry. Pansy's so much more secretive than that. If she had placed a tracker on Lavender then Lavender wouldn't have known. Putting it on a card is entirely too obvious."

She could see his breathing become shallow as he lowered his wand and looked away from her with wide eyes. He was frightened again.

"I kept it quiet because I knew that you would have your reasons," she told him as she stepped forward, "You aren't the same person you were back in school and it would have been a big decision for you. Hell, I wouldn't put it past Parkinson to have consented to it just to give you a look at what was going on inside the ministry."

"You weren't intending to blackmail me from the beginning?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"No," she told him, "You're the last person I was looking to blackmail. But now that you have something over me, I have to laud something over you. If you go to the Wizenagmot then so will I."

He glared at her for a few moments as his breathing came back to normal and he no longer looked so frightened. His face became angry as he looked at her. It was an anger she hadn't had directed at her for a very long time, not since they had first crossed paths at the ministry…

"Fine," he spat at her, "I won't say anything. But there's one thing you should know…"

"What?" She asked as he turned his back on her.

"I didn't cast that curse," he told her, "Someone else did."

She blinked at him but before she could say anything else…he was gone. She stared at the spot he had been in for the longest time before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Lucius staring at the spot too.

"I was always good to him," he told her, "No matter how cruel I may have seemed or out of control I ever got…I always put my son first."

"Then why is he so determined to put you back in prison?" She asked, more to herself than him.

"I honestly do not know."

They stayed there for a few moments more before they silently agreed to go back to the house. They walked side by side for several moments until Hermione broke the silence that hung between them.

"How much of our conversation did you hear?" She asked him.

"Most of it," he said, "I followed you out in case my son decided to throw his anger your way again."

"Even if you can perform wandless magic Lucius, it's not enough to stop him from hurting me, or anyone else for that matter," she told him, "What would you have done if he turned his wrath on you?"

"A Malfoy always has a plan, Hermione," he told her with a smirk.

"Apparently they don't know how to smile properly either," she grumbled, "Where did you lot pick up that smirk anyway?"

"It's in the genes," he told her as he held open the front door for her. She couldn't help but snort at his response as they entered the kitchen where the others fired questions at her but there was only one from Severus that she answered.

"Is he going to the Wizenagmot?" He asked.

She looked at him for a few moments and smiled softly.

"I don't think so," she told him, "He's got too much to lose."

"How did you get him to stop?" He asked her to which she shook her head.

"That's between him and I."

***

He landed on his front lawn with a shuddering breath. It was only when he fell to the crisp, green grass of Malfoy Manor that the gravity of what he had done finally caught up with him.

_"Fine," he spat at her, "I won't say anything. But there's one thing you should know…"_

_"What?" She asked as he turned his back on her._

_"I didn't cast that curse," he told her, "Someone else did…"_

Not only had he given away his only advantage against her but he had given away information that was likely to get him sacked, throttled, chucked in Azkaban…the list of unfortunate, overly dramatic and highly dangerous punishments went on and as he breathed heavily to retain some semblance of control he realised that he would more than likely receive all of the above and more.

How could he have been so stupid?! He had information right there in the palm of his hand and he had agreed to let it slide in exchange for some of the worst punishment he would ever receive in his life. Was he going soft in his old age? He knew that he would never have done anything like this while they were back at school. He would have just handed over the information in order to get what he wanted anyway!

_"I kept it quiet because I knew that you would have your reasons," she told him as she stepped forward, "You aren't the same person you were back in school…"_

No, he wasn't the same person he was in school. He had grown up, gained a sense of honour and, at first to his utter disgust, a conscience. Because of this, he couldn't break the promise he had made to Hermione, even if it would mean winning his case early…well, that and the fact that she was one hell of a witch. It had come to his attention during this visit that she cared for Lucius a great deal now, even though she wouldn't have thought twice about hexing him a few months ago. If he had learned anything about Hermione Granger over the years it was that she had a wicked tongue, a wicked brain and also a wicked temper. She was a force to be reckoned with when she needed to be and there was no doubt in his mind that she would protect Lucius until the very end now.

He couldn't tell how Lucius felt about her but there was at least a respect there that Draco hadn't seen Lucius offer to anyone but those closest to him. He hadn't even gazed at the Dark Lord with that much respect. Perhaps- no. Draco stopped that train of thought before it even began. There was no way that Granger would be so stupid and his father had never been interested in women as stubborn as her. Sure, Narcissa could be stubborn when she wanted to be but never to the point where she was completely obstinate. When Granger made up her mind, it was made and next to nothing could ever change it.

_But he changed it didn't he?_ He thought to himself, _how the bloody hell did he do that…and so quickly?_

It was a completely mystery to him but as he finally stood and walked towards the manor, he realised that Granger's bitch of a personality was the least of his problems. He saw in the distance, a cloaked figure standing menacingly by the front door. His spindly, sallow hands were curling around a bone like wand as he stared at his host with glowing green eyes.

"Draco, Draco, Draco," he hissed, "Whatever am I going to do with you?"


	19. Cruelty at its finest

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Sorry guys! I know it's been a while but now that I'm out of school and I no longer have homework to worry about updates should be a little more frequent unless I run into any plot problems. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's got a lot of twists in it so don't be surprised if you're caught of guard!**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Nineteen: Cruelty at its finest

She had gone to bed late for every night that week and once the hearing for the murder of Colin Creevy loomed upon them she was tired beyond measure. Once more, she had collapsed on her bed fully clothed and woke up the next morning in her underwear. She frowned slightly, knowing full well that Harry had gone to bed before she had that night and that Ginny wouldn't let him go anywhere until morning. Perhaps she was sleep walking again?

There was a knock at her door. She yelled for her visitor to come in as she pulled on a dressing gown. Lavender walked in and smiled.

"I couldn't find any dirt on her," she told her irately, "Little cow is either squeaky clean or she's better at hiding things than the Malfoys."

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments until they both burst out laughing.

"After all of this I very much doubt the latter," Hermione told her as she sobered up, "What have you got for me anyway?"

"Well she said in her testimony that she was close with Colin," Lavender said as she dug through the files in her arms and pulled out one specifically for Hermione, "But I can't find any evidence of that through out her Hogwarts years or afterwards. I think you might be able to use that to discredit her instead, unsettle her a bit."

Hermione smiled and engulfed the woman in a hug.

"I don't know what I would do without you," she said as she let her go, "Do me a favour and tell Rabastan to make me some coffee will you? I'll be down in a minute or so."

Lavender gave her a nod and then scurried off. Hermione then set herself down on her bed and examined the file that she had been given. There were pictures from Colin's school days, his journal and some pieces of his school work. She couldn't help but smile at the pictures. Almost every single one of them contained Harry and herself with Ron by their side. The boy had completely idolized, not only Harry, but the three of them by the end and it showed. She sighed as plans began to form inside her head. She didn't know what it was but the Ravenclaws that had gone through Hogwarts during her time really were stupid. She packed up the file once more and moved quickly down stairs as the smell of coffee beckoned to her. She received a hug and a kiss each from Harry and Ginny and took her usual seat at the head of the table, Lucius pulling out her chair for her. Narcissa smiled all the while, Rabastan and Lavender looked slightly confused and Severus just rolled his eyes. Everyone else tried to pretend they hadn't seen a thing. The awkward state of comfort was beginning to flow through all the guests of Hermione's house without her knowledge.

"Have you got a plan for Chang now?" Rabastan asked her patiently.

"Oh yes," Hermione smirked, "So long as Kingsley doesn't-"

She was interrupted by a great roar of her fireplace in the lounge and frowned at everyone else.

"Are we expecting visitors this morning?" Lucius asked.

"No."

They all turned to see the stern eyes of Minerva McGonagall staring at their merry little band. They were partially bloodshot from tears and her breathing was ragged, yet she held herself together just as the strong woman she was. She walked forward into the kitchen, offering nod after nod to everyone but Lucius.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," she told them, "Kingsley is dead."

Lavender gasped.

Hermione closed her eyes.

Ginny whispered "Oh my god."

Everyone else stared in shock.

"How?" Rabastan asked, "When?"

"He was found in his home at five this morning, murdered," Minerva told them with a heavy voice, "There was no sign of forced entry or any kind of struggle according to Auror Peters who was first on the scene-"

"Why was I not informed of this?!" Harry suddenly bellowed, "Does my entire department-"

"It was the wish of Kingsley's successor that you not be informed until now," McGonagall said through gritted teeth.

Hermione swayed slightly in her seat and paled.

"His successor?" She whispered, "Please don't tell me-"

"She's being sworn in now," she told her, "I was sent as messenger to let you know that the trial is still going to go ahead this morning."

Hermione closed her eyes again, emitting a sudden growl and crashing her fist on the table with a loud bang.

"Granger what-" Rabastan was cut off.

"Your job just got harder Lestrange," Severus told him as he too went pale.

"Think about it Lestrange," Blaise cut in out of nowhere, "What were the first things we were told about when we first joined the ministry. Who was to take over in the event of the Minister's untimely death?"

His eyes widened. Hermione suddenly summoned a piece of parchment and a quill and began to write furiously. She then moved from the table into the lounge and out of sight of everyone else. Minerva gave a quizzical look to Severus who nodded.

"Yes Minerva," he told her, "She does that a lot."

Hermione then came barging back into the room with three envelopes.

"I wouldn't normally ask this off you Minerva," she said calmly, "But could you please deliver this," she gave her one of the envelopes, "To our new minister, give this one to Mathew McKinnon and drop this one off at the medical examiner in Azkaban Prison? It is absolutely urgent that it be done as soon as possible and all my owls are out for the moment."

"But Hedwi-" Harry was instantly silenced by a glare from the young witch.

McGonagall eyed the envelopes with suspicion.

"What are you up to?" She asked her. Hermione just continued to look at her.

"Please," she said, "If you do this, then I give it until the end of the murder trials that Umbridge is thrown out of office."

"UMBRIDGE?!" Half of the room yelled. Most of the ministry employees in the room had forgotten that there were those who had their own businesses or wanted nothing to do with the godforsaken place. They were, however, ignored as Hermione and Minerva continued to stare at each other.

"Is that a bribe Miss Granger?" Minerva smirked.

"It'll be a promise if everything goes according to plan," Hermione smirked back, "Please just deliver the letters for me and I'll do everything I can to get rid of the old bat."

The older woman smiled and took the letters before departing from the room without another word. All stared at her but the Slytherins who had the candour to remain oblivious.

"Care to tell us what was in those letters?" Lucius asked as he took a bite of toast.

"The one to McKinnon was a request for a warrant to view Kingsley's body," she told him, "I have a feeling that I need to."

"Why?" Rabastan asked. It was Severus who answered though.

"There have been two other deaths since this trial began," he chipped in, "Both suspicious, both people who were heavily protected and now there is a third?"

"Not to mention all three victims had something to the case in some way," Hermione finished for him, "I'll eat my wand if they aren't related."

"And the second?" Severus asked.

"The second went to the coroner from Azkaban because he was the one who dealt with Bellatrix Lestrange's body," she told him, "Avery had the same markings on his corpse that Bellatrix did so in case Kingsley is the same…"

"You think it's a serial killer?" Ginny asked.

"Makes sense," Harry jumped in, "Three bodies, all who had something to do with the case, two with the same cause of death and all three were heavily protected…if its not a serial killer then it's a group of people trying to accomplish the same thing. Forgive me but there isn't exactly a shortage of people wanting Malfoy back inside."

"Either way, this needs to be stopped as soon as possible," Hermione mumbled before turning back to Harry, "Forget guard duty. I need you to put all your efforts into solving Kingsley's murder and the murders of the other two. If you need any help then take Lavender with you. I'm sure her skills will come up in this."

"I'll just use my department resources-"

"No," she shook her head, "I need you to figure this out without the new minister finding out what's going on. Have Peters continue on with Kingsley's investigation separately and then try and figure out all three while the ministry has their eye on Peters."

"And the point of eluding the ministry is…?" Lavender asked.

"In our experience the devil is often hidden inside the walls," Severus drawled.

"Someone high up had to have done it," Harry explained to her more fully, "In order to have the wards that were set around Kingsley's home dismantled without being detected, they had to have certain pieces of knowledge. Knowledge that isn't handed out to just anyone."

"So we need the ministry to think that we're a bunch of idiots, completely clueless and totally focused on what's inside the box rather than what could possibly be on the outside?" Lavender asked.

"Yes," Hermione nodded.

"So what did the one to Umbridge say?" Rabastan asked her and she smirked once more.

"Just a small reminder."

They looked at her quizzically but she never elaborated.

"Come on," she said as she walked into the living room, "We have a trial to attend."

***

They entered the courtroom with caution that morning, Lucius flanked by both the body guards, Hermione in front and Lavender and Rabastan in back. No chances were to be taken under the new regime. It was all quiet once they were inside and seated. The Wizenagmot was understandably glum, as were the spectators and the…

"Draco," Hermione gasped as he came into view. Lucius' head swivelled in the direction of his son and he too had to suppress a look of absolute shock. There he stood, hunched over and clearly in pain with many bruises and scratches that marred his always flawless face. His robes covered up the rest of his body but it was more than obvious that he was injured elsewhere. Hermione stood from her seat and walked over to him.

"What the hell happened to you?" She asked.

"Nothing." He answered, refusing to look at her.

"Don't give me that," she hissed, "You shouldn't even be here! Just look at you! I'll allow for a continuance if that's what you-"

"Drop it Granger," he cut her off quietly. She could feel the silent rage coming off his body as he scowled at the pieces of parchment he was ordering on his desk. Hermione simply stared at him as he took his seat next to his fellow prosecution and didn't say another word. Seeing that she was beaten she made her way back to her own seat next to Lucius.

"Something isn't right," she whispered to herself as she looked back over at Draco.

"As far as my son is concerned nothing ever is right."

She looked back at Lucius with concern only to see that he was not looking back. He too was staring at Draco, though with more calculation than concern. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him in concentration.

"What do you mean?" She asked him quietly just as Umbridge walked into the room and took her place in the minister's high seat.

"We must discuss it later," he whispered back to her, "There are too many ears here that are more than willing to listen."

She nodded silently and turned her attention back to the new minister who used her ever famous fake cough to get the attention of those who still were not paying attention. Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was going to be her fifth year all over again, she could just feel it.

"My fellow witches and wizards," she said in that high, sickly sweet tone of hers, "Today is a very dark day for us all. Let us all bow our heads in silence for the late Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt…"

There was nothing but silence for the next minute as Umbridge bowed her head and everyone else complied with her wishes. Hermione chose this time to observe the only other person who had not obeyed orders. Draco was fidgety, tired, obviously hurt and struggling to maintain his concentration or patience, one of the two. Either way he was not himself and by the frosty greeting he had given her that morning it seemed that he blamed her for whatever hardship he had received the night before. Their somewhat strange and strained relationship at the end of the war had developed into a loving friendship over the years, something that the two of them cherished and relied upon. Even when they were in court against one another they always found time to have a drink afterwards or a cup of tea before hand. Hermione had never been one to be naïve; she had known all along that this trial would test their friendship and their limits but to actually see him blame her for something she didn't know about…well lets just say that it hurt.

"Thank you," Umbridge spoke once more as everyone brought themselves upright, "Now I would like to start the proceedings with a few notes of importance. The first of which is…"

She didn't even bother to listen and by the looks of things neither did anyone else. Everyone knew that this speech would be about nothing but her and her importance and what she would do from then on. The last thing any one of them wanted to do was sit there and listen to her drone on. So Hermione contented herself once more to observe the room. The spectators were unusually docile this time around, a few of them even with tears in their eyes for the late Minister but there was one who drew Hermione's gaze to him. Arthur Weasley had an unusually hard look in his eyes. He had been carrying that look ever since the trial had begun but even then it was completely out of character. Not even when he had met Lucius somewhere on the battlefield did he ever have that cold glare on his face. It was odd to say the least.

"…shall get the trial underway," Umbridge finally finished, "Mr Malfoy, you may call your witness."

"The prosecution calls Miss Cho Chang to the stand," he managed to rasp out before standing. Cho rose from her seat just behind him and moved to the witness stand to the front. Draco stood hunched over his desk, beads of sweat pouring off his brow.

"Mr Malfoy would you like to remain seated for this?" Umbridge asked with false concern, "You look rather ill."

"No shit Sherlock," Hermione muttered under her breath. Malfoy then straightened himself up and looked directly at the minister.

"No thank you Minister," he said unconvincingly, "I'm fine."

"Very well," she smiled, "You may proceed."

Draco picked up his files and walked to the middle of the room.

"Please describe the attack Miss Chang," he said to her.

"It was the final battle," she said, "Colin and I were being led by Remus Lupin into the grounds…well, I was being led. Lupin had no idea that Colin was even there. He was underage at the time you see and McGonagall had told us that only those over the age of seventeen were allowed to fight. So Colin stole his big brother's invisibility cloak and snuck out behind me. I told him to go back several times but all he did was tell me that he wasn't going to leave me on my own out there. Once Lor-"

She was cut off by the sound of Draco hitting the floor. Several people gasped and Umbridge tried to maintain order. Hermione was instantly at his side as were his co-council and researcher. She placed her head on his chest to hear his heart only to feel a sticky, wet substance coat the side of her face. She leaned back to see that his entire torso was covered in blood. Before anyone could even move she ripped open his shirt to see three very deep lacerations across his chest and stomach, bleeding heavily, stinging and angry.

"Someone go and get a healer," she said to the others around them, "NOW!"

She took out her wand and attempted to keep his blood from leaving his body but her knowledge of healing open wounds was limited. The moment it went back in it came out again and again and again. Soon she gave up on magic and attempted to stop the bleeding the muggle way, removing his shirt completely and pressing it hard against his red stained skin. Flint did the same as he removed his outer robes and placed them over Malfoy's chest. Before either of them could do anything else Narcissa was by their side doing all she could to close the wounds with magic and just like Hermione, failing miserably. Lucius stood white as a sheet on the sidelines knowing full well that he could help and not being able to do so. His instincts battled with his brain as he watched his son lie there on the floor bleeding heavily, dying before his very eyes.

_You need to help your son!_

_You need to save yourself!_

_He needs you!_

_He doesn't want you!_

_He loves you!_

_He hates you!_

It continued over and over again like an old TV rerun until his head began to pound. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't do it Lucius," Severus told him, "The healers will be here soon."

Lucius looked back down at his son and the people trying to save him. Hermione had blood all over her blouse and skirt as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding but nothing she did worked.

"Not soon enough," he said as he finally moved over to Draco and pushed Flint aside. Hermione tried to push him away.

"Lucius don't!" She ordered, "He's not going to die the healers are almost here!"

His eyes darkened as he stared her down, his old Death Eater glare making a reappearance as he placed his hands over Draco.

"You have no authority over me where my family is concerned Miss Granger," he said coldly, "Kindly remove yourself from him before I do something we will both regret."

She gasped at the man who had emerged from the usually cool and collective Lucius Malfoy and couldn't help but crawl back in fright. Lucius took no notice of her shock and proceeded to chant with his hands over Draco's wounds. He used spells he had seen in the old Manor Library, in books that should never have been written, in manuscripts that should never have been read, in pieces of parchment that should never have been seen and soon enough, after many minutes of the same words spilling from his lips, Draco's wounds began to close. There was nothing but complete silence until Narcissa moved forward once more and examined her son while looking directly at her ex-husband.

"What have you done?" She whispered. Just as the words left her lips Draco stirred and finally opened his eyes. He looked confused when he saw his mother and father leaning over him side by side. Lucius visibly relaxed and leaned back.

"What was right," he whispered as he closed his eyes. The healers finally arrived though to a less gory scene than what they thought they would have. The patient was awake and although completely shocked, almost completely healthy. It became obvious that he would spend the night in St Mungo's when he just about fell over again from the blood loss. For the first time in three years Draco locked eyes with his father and didn't look away until Flint whispered something in his ear. Something in Draco changed as he looked at his father once more. Hermione couldn't help but feel that this was a bad thing.

"Arrest him!" Draco commanded. The entire room stood there in shock. Hermione's eyes widened to the point where the looked as though they would pop out of her sockets.

"What?!" She screeched.

"He's just broken the terms and conditions of his parole so arrest him!" He commanded once more. Instantly the court Aurors stepped forward and magically bound Lucius' hands behind his back. For his part he didn't struggle against them as they tried to lead him away from the scene but several others got in their way. Harry, Lavender, Rabastan and Narcissa all stood before the exit.

"You aren't taking him anywhere," Narcissa hissed.

"He saved his life!" Lavender screeched.

"How can you be so callous?!" Harry roared at Draco before turning to the Aurors, "I order you to stand down now!"

"I'm sorry Mr Potter but you have no power here."

They all turned to see Umbridge walking towards them. She had one of her sinisterly sweet smiles planted on her lips and as she drew nearer both Hermione and Harry unconsciously flinched and stiffened.

"They are my men," Harry tried to argue.

"And this is my courtroom," she countered, "I don't know what kind of spell this lunatic Death Eater has placed over you during his stay at Miss Granger's home but do be certain that it will continue no longer. Dawlish, Gatsby, take him to Azkaban."

"You can't do this!" Narcissa screeched.

"Yes she can," Hermione told them as she watched the new minister. They all stared at her blank expression trying to figure out what she was thinking but none of them came up with any answers until she spoke once more.

"Section three, paragraph four," she said, "The Minister for Magic may override any decisions made by an existing Head of Department whilst inside the courtroom. In addition to this Lucius broke his parole. We have no legal right to stop them from taking him to Azkaban."

"And he knows it," Snape came up beside her, "That's why he doesn't struggle. He is prepared to go back."

"Not prepared," Rabastan shook his head, "Just willing."

Hermione watched as they took Lucius from the room. She searched through her head for any loopholes that were in the law but nothing she came up with could help them now. Lucius had broken the conditions of his parole. End of story. And now that the Wizenagmot had seen what he could do there was no way that they would release him again. He was now truly defenceless with no way out and nothing to gain. At that thought, anger began to rise in her as she turned and glared fiercely at Draco. She walked right up to where he was sitting and shoved him into the desk.

"You are an idiot you know that?" She hissed at him, "A complete and utter waste of space and I hope your conscience attacks you royally for this."

"He broke his parole," he snapped back.

"He saved your life you ungrateful twit!" She yelled.

"Enough," Umbridge interrupted quietly, "Miss Granger please take your seat. We are to continue with the trial at hand."

"You can't do that!" Rabastan exclaimed, "It is against the law! Mr Malfoy has the right to face his accuser-"

"Mr Malfoy lost that right when he performed illegal magic inside my courtroom," Umbridge told him sweetly with a smile that was supposed to be apologetic but only came off smug, "I'm sorry dear but, that right is no longer applicable."

Hermione sent a cold glare in the older woman's direction but knew it would have no affect. Instead she took in a deep breath and began to walk out of the room.

"Miss Granger?" Umbridge called, "There is still a trial at hand."

Hermione turned back to Rabastan instead of addressing Umbridge.

"Take over for me," she instructed, "My notes on the defence are inside my files on the desk. Lavender you are to come with me. It seems we have a little research to do."

She then turned to Ginny.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to need your help too," she told her quietly, "There are too many things to do and not enough time to do them in."

Ginny nodded and together the three women left the courtroom, much to the shock and confusion of all who resided within it.


	20. Who?

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Oh I have a feeling you guys aren't going to like me so much when you see what I have in store for you next. Just do keep in mind that there is more to come when you read this ok? Thanks in advance for not killing me!  
**

**~VTM  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
**

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Chapter Twenty: Who?

They walked through to the atrium at a sturdy pace, Hermione in the lead until they finally made it to the fireplaces.

"This is what is going to happen," she said to the two others that were behind her as she cleaned the blood off of her blouse, "Lavender, forget helping Harry. I need you to figure out how the hell we're going to get rid of Umbridge. The longer she presides over these hearings, the bigger risk we run of losing. Ginny, you are now officially on my pay roll. I want you to find anything and everything you can about Draco Malfoy. Just go directly to his criminal record, hospital records and anything else along those lines. We already know what he was like in school."

"What good will that do?" The red-head replied in confusion.

"He's hiding something," she told her, "Something that's making him act like a right prat. He may be screwed up some days but he's not that much of a bastard unless he has to be. Add that to the fact that he's been jumpy as hell since this trial started and that he walked into that courtroom when he clearly shouldn't…"

She stopped walking and stared into space for a few moments, lost in thought as the others gazed at her in confusion. She turned her head back to where they had come from and furrowed her brow, her mouth gaping.

"Why would you do that?" She whispered.

"Do what?"

She seemed to come out of it quickly and turned back to the two of them, shaking her head to throw off the cloud of hazy thought that threatened to take over.

"Nothing," she said as they started walking again, "Just make sure you do your jobs for me. After that I want you to go back home and start searching through loopholes in parole laws, courtroom conduct and use of dark magic in emergency situations."

They both nodded and Lavender stepped into her fireplace instantly throwing down white powder and shouting, "Ministerial Hall of Records!"

Before Hermione went to go into her own fireplace Ginny grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back. She had a look on her face that Hermione couldn't read, almost guilty and yet desperate and somehow sympathetic at the same time.

"Ginny, what is it?" She asked softly.

She looked hesitant as she stared at her best friend, as though she almost didn't want to ask. In the end she took a deep breath and just came out with it.

"What are his chances?" She asked.

Hermione seemed to deflate at the question. She sighed and folded her arms over her chest before sighing and gazing into the emerald green flames of Lavender's fireplace.

"Not good," she told her, "Now that the Wizenagmot knows that he can perform wandless magic, dark magic at that, they aren't going to let him out of prison. With the dementors on him twenty-four-seven he isn't going to be able to be convincing in his testimonies anymore and is therefore going to lose all the credibility and sincerity that we've built up for him."

"But what about using it to save his son?" Ginny asked desperately, "It's got to count for something."

"It counts for very little in the eyes of half the Order," she sighed again, "You've seen what they're like Ginny, you know how obtuse and one-sided they can be. Once they see a crime being committed they jump on it regardless of intent."

Ginny looked away from her.

"He has to get out of prison," she whispered and Hermione turned back to her, "He doesn't deserve to be in there, no matter what he's done in the past."

Hermione just stared at her as he continued.

"I blamed him for such a long time," she told her, "I blamed him unfairly."

"He wasn't under Voldemort's control when he slipped the diary into your cauldron Ginny," Hermione told her.

"I know," she nodded, "But it doesn't matter. He told me that he didn't deliberately target me…and I believe him."

She turned back to her best friend and smiled.

"He doesn't deserve this," she told her, "He just doesn't."

"I know," she smiled back, "And we're going to do all we can to get him off but for now I need you to go and dig up dirt on his son."

Ginny nodded and walked into the next fireplace, disappearing behind a wall of green flame. Hermione stood there for a few moments after she had left. Ginny was right. He didn't deserve anything of what he had been given. Between being controlled by the Dark Lord for three years, losing his family and reputation and then having his son throw him in prison for saving his life…Lucius had it harder than what any of them ever had.

She gave herself an affirmative nod as she stepped into her own fireplace and disappeared. It was time to make it just a little easier on him.

***  
"Well, I've got Malfoy's records."

Ginny piled several files onto an already unstable desk in front of Lavender who had her own work cut out for her.

"Any luck yet?" She asked the blond who chewed on the end of a very old quill.

"Nothing yet," she said with a smile, "But it's very entertaining. Did you know that Umbridge failed both her written and her practical Defence Against the Dark Art's O.W.L? And Fudge wanted her to teach? Pfft."

"You're supposed to be looking for something that can help us," Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled as she took her own seat and started on Draco's criminal and birth records.

"Hey, it may not help but it makes me feel better," she laughed before switching from school records to tax returns. They sat there in silence together each reading and taking notes like they were back in school hoping to pass their next test with flying colours, their quills set, their minds focused. It was difficult however, to keep their minds on task. When going through an entire person's life it was next to impossible to stay awake. Lavender soon found herself reading over the same sentence several times in her effort to retain all the numbers in Umbridge's tax returns and then finally gave up with a huff.

"This is impossible!" She cried three hours later. Ginny flopped her head against the old and decrepit files with a massive sigh.

"How can two people so obviously crooked have cleaner records than Harry, Ron and Hermione combined?" She asked.

"It's completely and utterly ridiculous!" Lavender exclaimed, "Umbridge hasn't even got a speeding ticket for Merlin's sake! One would think with the amount of evil she does she would like to fly quickly! The only thing they really have her down for is accidentally poisoning her diabetic sister with sugar when she was seven."

"You're seriously telling me she was that sickly sweet when she was seven?" Ginny asked and Lavender nodded. Both women sighed and continued on their search. Ginny switched from criminal records to medical and skimmed over everything that was in the file…

January 7th 1985- Admitted to St Mungo's Hospital for treatment of accidental magic. Patient changed his nose into an elephant's trunk when he complained to his parents that he wished to go to the muggle zoo.

Release papers signed by Lucius Malfoy

March 12th 1987- Admitted to St Mungo's Hospital for treatment of poison. Patient accidentally swallowed Venomous Tentacular venom instead of the pumpkin juice a house elf gave him.

Release papers signed by Lucius Malfoy

April 14th 1992- Removed from Hogwarts School and admitted to St Mungo's Hospital for treatment of Quidditch injury. Patient suffered several bludgers to the head, abdomen and limbs as a result of school Quidditch match.

December 24th 1996- Admitted to St Mungo's Hospital for treatment of magical disease. Patient contracted La Fay's Disease. Symptoms include near constant pain and fainting spells as well as unexplained haemorrhaging.

Release papers signed by Lucius Malfoy

EDIT: Misdiagnosis of La Fay's disease. Patient later admitted to suffering constant exposure to the Cruciatus Curse cast by the Dark Lord.

Ginny sighed as she looked at the last one. She wondered how much Draco really did suffer at the hands of the Dark Lord that year. If this was any indication then she really couldn't imagine the amount of pain he had endured. Just by looking at the records themselves she could tell that Lucius hadn't been the only one to suffer. The entire family had endured years of hardship and pain all because of one man and the simple mistake of choosing to follow him. If she had not lived it herself she wouldn't have believed that Tom Riddle could have been so destructive. If she hadn't lived it herself then she would never have understood how Lucius could have followed him for so long. He had always been persuasive, devastatingly so, but it was the trust that he was able to plant inside another human being that made him so dangerous, that feeling that you were safe while with him, that nothing could go wrong when in fact he was doing everything humanly and inhumanly possible to destroy you.

Ginny kept looking through the records and came up with absolutely nothing until she reached the last entry, dated almost a year ago to the day. Her eyes widened as she read the words on the page and her jaw fell slack.

"What is it?" Lavender asked, "Did you find something?"

"Yeah," Ginny said as she continued to stare at the page as she walked out of the room leaving Lavender with no explanation whatsoever.

***  
Three women ventured through three fireplaces that day. Three women were currently completing three different tasks. One was searching through files, the other was running into a courtroom and the last was searching through a prison. All three were getting the very same result. Nothing.

"Stupid bloody files," one muttered.

"Let me in the bloody courtroom!" Another yelled.

"Tell me where he is!" The last demanded.

Two were given the answer of "No."

The last decided to try a different route. She stood from her desk, shoving the ever boring files onto the floor in frustration and walked over to the nearest fireplace. She took a fist full of floo powder and disappeared inside the emerald green flames only to reappear in another fireplace on the same level. She frowned to herself for a few moments before trying again and coming up with the same result. It appeared that breaking into the Minister for Magic's office was far more complicated than what she originally thought it would be. She thought for a few moments before returning back to her original desk and pulling out a new set of files, this time not about the Minister herself but about her new office. If she was going to do this then she would do it properly.

She read through the security enchantments, the protective potions that had been spilled around the doorway and fireplace as well as the shielding spells that stopped eavesdroppers right in their tracks and pointed out spies before they even entered the room. It was when she reached the bottom of the pages she read that another thought occurred to her.

She took out her cell phone and began to dial…

***  
"Miss Chang, you were asked to give a sworn statement before this trial that what you witnessed out on the battlefield was completely true, were you not?"

Harry sat there watching Rabastan try to work his magic with a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Hermione had practically stormed out of the courtroom, taking Lavender and his wife with her, Lucius had been thrown back in prison for saving his son's life, Draco was showing no remorse whatsoever and now Rabastan was being shut down in his arguments left, right and centre. Things weren't exactly going great and he could only feel that it was going to get ten times worse.

And it did.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A!  
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A!  
They have everything for young men to enjoy!  
You can hang out with all the boys!

He almost jumped at the sound emitting from his pocket, as did everyone else in the room. He felt all eyes on him as he fumbled around in his robes trying to find the source. He could see the sickly sweet smile on Umbridge's face widen ever so slightly out of the corner of his eye.

"Mr Potter," she said, "If you do not stop that contraption in your pocket from singing within the next three seconds I will have to have you removed from this courtroom."

Harry didn't answer. He simply kept searching for the damned thing.

"One…"

It was close. He could feel it in there somewhere.

"Two…"

Almost there…almost….There! He had it in his hands.

"Three! Auror Stilton, remove this man."

Harry's eyes widened for all of three seconds as he saw Stilton approach nervously towards him and then he narrowed them.

"Lay a finger on me Stilton and I'll put you on guard duty at Gringotts for the next three years," he threatened quietly, "And you know how boring that gets after the first few hours."

Stilton gulped but stood firm beside his boss.

"Please don't make this difficult Harry," he pleaded.

"It already is difficult," he answered as he stood from his seat. He saw Rabastan give him a wistful look, almost as if to say "do something!" He was being hammered by Malfoy due to Umbridge taking the snake's side with every objection. Harry gave him a look of sympathy before marching himself out of the courtroom, only to have his wife crash straight into him and knock him to the floor.

"Ginny, what-"

But she was already off racing towards Rabastan, skidding to a halt right beside him and handing over a piece of paper. Rabastan stared at it for a few moments before his eyes widened and he looked over at Malfoy, completely stunned. Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Ginny had obviously found something that might help them out. But he was distracted by the phone still ringing in his hands he looked down at it to see Lavender's number pop up.

There was a fake cough that reverberated through out the room that made him seriously want to roll his eyes.

"Mr Potter I'm still waiting for you to remove yourself from our presence," she said, "You are interrupting this court. And take Mrs Potter with you. She has created too much of a ruckus as it is."

Ginny glared at the older woman before heading back to her husband. He picked himself up off the floor, phone still in hand, and the two of them headed out the double doors to the corridor where they were promptly locked out. Harry then flipped his cell and put it to his ear.

"This had better be good Lavender," he seethed, "You just got me thrown out of the courtroom and Rabastan needs all the support he can get."

"I needed you out of there," she said to him. He could hear her footsteps on the other side, the clicking of her heels as she moved swiftly through a corridor somewhere in the Ministry.

"Why on earth would you need anyone else out of the courtroom?" He asked incredulously, "Half the team is already gone!"

"Because I need you to do something for me for the next few days," she told him. He heard her come to a stop at her destination.

He furrowed his brow slightly at the sound.

"Lavender what are you up to?" He asked her.

"It's best if you don't know," she told him, "All I need you to do is keep Umbridge busy for the next couple of days and out of the 1st floor corridor. In fact, keep everyone out of the first floor corridor for the next few days. I'm going to need all the privacy I can get."

Harry blinked.

"How the hell am I going to manage that?!" He yelled down the line. He could just imagine the blond rolling her eyes at him.

"You're the Man-Who-Freaking-Lived," she said back, "Think of something!"

With that the line went dead. He then turned back to his wife who was staring at him oddly.

"The Y.M.C.A song?" She said, "Come on Harry, I'm a pureblood and even I know that that song is the biggest gay anthem of all time."

She laughed when she heard him say, "Bloody bookworm," under his breath.

***  
"I'm going to give you till the count of three Smithy. If you don't let me in that cell then I'm going to blast my way in."

The old man just chuckled at her for the fiftieth time.

"I'm sorry," he laughed at her, "I can't do it. You need to take it up with the Minister Miss Granger-"

"God and people say that I'm deaf," she muttered to herself before turning back to him, "The Minister is a sickly sweet, psychotic bitch Smithy! If you don't let me in there my client will die!"

He just shrugged and laughed once more.

"What does it concern me?" He smiled, "IT doesn't matter to me whether Mr Malfoy dies or not."

She stared at him in shock.

"He's a human life Smithy," she said incredulously, "How can you not care?"

"He's just a prisoner Miss Granger," he told her patiently, still smiling, "He's not worth your time or the ground you walk on. Now come, have a cup of tea with me and Martha."

Her heart began to beat faster at his words and she continued to stare at him. She didn't understand how someone could smile and think like that at the same time. It was just impossible. She looked at him carefully now; the careless expression, the glazed look in his eyes, straggly hair even more askew than usual…

There was a rustling from behind her.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

She dodged just in time, the spell hitting Smithy instead of herself. She climbed to her feet quickly and glared at the hooded figure. Time seemed to stand still as they stared each other down. She could see nothing underneath the hood of the cloak that he wore but the hand that held his wand was clearly visible. Long, spindly fingers clad in pale, almost translucent skin. The wand itself was familiar too. White, yew wood, almost like bone. She knew that wand. She had come across it once before and hoped that she would never have to do it again. Instant fear struck her heart. She knew why he was there, why he wanted to be there for that particular reason was beyond her but she knew why he was there.

"You can't have him," she whispered, "If you want Lucius then you have to go through me first."

The figure cocked his head to the side. She could just imagine a leering smile underneath the hood.

"Who said anything about Lucius," he hissed before waving his wand at her once more, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

She leaped out of the way, taking out her wand in mid air and firing a stunner at him. When it missed she began to run. There was no way she could take him, she knew it, he knew it and now that she could hear him chasing after her she was no longer concerned for Lucius' life but her own. He could suffer with the dementors a few more minutes while she figured out how to survive.

BOOM!

Another killing curse flew past her head and collided with the door that connected the prison to the morgue. The door exploded open and Hermione ran straight for it.

"ARMSTRONG!" She screamed. The man came out of what appeared to be a large freezer with an irritated scowl on his face.  
"What the-"

"RUN!" She screamed at him. It wasn't until he saw the figure that he did as she said, turning his back and running back into the freezer.

"In here!" He told her. She dove in just as another spell flew over her head and crashed into an opposing wall. Armstrong slammed the door shut and activated a series of complex locking and shielding spells that would keep them safe. Spells began to crash into the shields, causing the room to shake violently. Hermione covered her head with her arms as a few bits of debris began to fall.

"Who the hell is that?!" Armstrong yelled at her. She looked up at him through fearful eyes.

"Pray like hell it's not who I think it is," she whispered back as another crash ensued, "Is there any way to contact the outside world from here?"

"No," he shook his head as there was another boom! From the outside, "I don't exactly store fireplaces in my freezer Granger."

"How strong are the wards you just put up?" She asked him.

"The strongest that I have," he told her sternly.

"Then hope that they're enough to hold him off until he gets bored," she told him gravely. She then stood and looked around the room for the first time. It was definitely an autopsy freezer. She could see that the walls were lined with body drawers and some utensils used for autopsies themselves. The walls were lined with silver just as the door was and were equally as thick. One would think by looking at it that it was once a high security cell.

"Did this room used to be-"

"Yes," he answered before she could even finish, "It used to be Finrir Greyback's cell before he got too old to do any damage in his werewolf form. Now he just stays in a regular cell with the other prisoners."

"What do you do with him when he transforms into a werewolf?" She enquired.

"We don't have to do anything at all," he told her with a shrug, "The dementors take care of that."

She cringed as another explosion hit the wards and the cell.

"It looks like my wards are strong enough," he said proudly.

"Either that or he's weakened over time," she muttered to herself as she went over to the body drawers and began opening them one by one. Armstrong reached out and caught her wrist.

"Do have any respect for the dead?" He asked her harshly.

"Put it this way," she snapped, "I'm stuck in here with a mad man, my client is getting his soul sucked out as we speak and I have no way to contact my team and let them know what's happening. Don't you think I should do something productive, such as, oh I don't know, looking at the Minister for Magic's body?"

He stared at her for a few moments before letting go of her wrist and walking over to another drawer on the other side of the room.

"Did my request to have you look at him go through or not?" She asked sternly.

"Yeah. He's in this one," he told her as he opened it up. She walked over and for the first time since hearing about Kingsley's death, she truly felt emotional. He hadn't been her most favourite person in the world lately but that didn't mean that she didn't like him over all. He had always been brave and strong and a kind man no matter how much he cared about himself. He always had others in mind and there was no way that he had deserved to die like this. However she pushed the emotion back and turned back to Armstrong.

"How did he die?" She asked. At that he turned Kingsley over to reveal three long lacerations, like claws had been dug into his skin.

"He bled out," he told her, "These lacerations were fatal within minutes," he turned him back over to his front, "He also showed signs of a struggle with bruises on his neck, arms and torso and there were a few signs of cruciatus as well. He put up a good fight before they finally got him."

"So that's three now," she muttered.

"Pardon?" He said.

"Three victims who all died of the same cause. Bellatrix Lestrange, Carlos Avery and Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"You think they're all connected?" He asked her.

"How else do you explain it?" She asked, "All three of them died the same way, all three are connected to the case…some more than others but they were still apart of it," she chanced a glance at the door that was being hammered upon, "And I'll bet you anything that he is responsible."

Armstrong looked at the door too. She had to be right about that one. He had seen many people try to break out of Azkaban in his time but not once had he seen anyone try to break in…well except…

He looked at her in shock.

"No," he whispered, "It can't be-"

"I'm not sure whether it is or not," she snapped at him, "I only ever met him the once and I didn't exactly have time to take note of any distinguishing features. All I can say is that if it is him, then he's definitely changed his plans."

They waited for hours, passing the time with conversation and moments of fear in silence. Soon it seemed that the cloaked figure had given up but he had one last message to relay to them on the other side of the door.

"It won't be long Granger," he told them, "Soon you won't have anywhere to run."

With that there was a distinct pop and Hermione knew that he had gone. Where, she couldn't answer, but she knew he wasn't there and that was all the counted. She got up just as Armstrong disabled the wards and opened the door a tiny crack to see that it was really safe. Once she knew, she opened it all the way and flew out of the morgue. She ran as fast as she could along the cells, banishing dementors with her Patronus charm left, right and centre until she finally reached Lucius' cell. He was crumpled on the floor, hiding his face from the dementor that hovered over him as the rest of the inmates screamed for his soul to be taken. Hermione gave an almighty growl and sent that dementor packing too before she finally knelt down beside him. He was shaking from head to toe but as soon as he laid her hands on him the shaking ceased. He turned to look at her and she smiled, sighing in relief when she saw the light of recognition in his eyes.

"What took you so long?" He croaked out. She couldn't help it. She laughed. She laughed and she wrapped her arms around him without even thinking about it. She almost sighed in contentment when he did the same but managed to keep herself in tact.

"What did take you so long?" He asked after a while, pulling back to look at her and frowning, "You look as though you've been in battle."

She knew what she must look like. Hair rumpled and frizzy, robes tattered and torn, both heels on her shoes broken…it was not a pretty sight. She was more than certain that she had dirt all over her face too from all the diving and dodging. She looked up at him seriously.

"I was attacked when I got here," she told him, "I was trying to get Smithy to let me in to see you but he wouldn't and when I noticed he was being uncharacteristically unkind someone tried to kill me."

"Who?" He asked softly.

"I'm not sure," she whispered, "But if it's who I think it was…We're all in trouble."

"When you say all of us-"

"I mean the entire Wizarding World," she clarified, "Lucius…I think I saw-"

"There she is!"

A whole bunch of people came running towards them, some from her team, others from opposing council and some with nothing to do with the case at all. Others were just miscellaneous members of the Wizenagmot. She and Lucius stood up together, still wrapped up tight and stared at them all. Harry and Severus came forward and looked them both over to make sure they were ok.

"We're fine Harry, I can promise you that," she smiled at him, "Just a bit of a mishap. I'll tell you later what's happened."

She looked over all the people that stood before them and realised that Draco was among them, looking at the way she held his father suspiciously. His narrowed eyes only made her wish to hex him even more for what he had done. She wouldn't even be there if it weren't for him.

Hem, hem.

She rolled her eyes as she turned to see Umbridge among the flock of people, wearing her best fake smile.

"Mr Potter," she said, "Once you've cleared her health you will arrest her."

All the colour drained from her face as fierce anger threatened to take over her entire body. She stared at the ugly vision in pink with what little control she had left after her ordeal that day and prayed that she had somehow managed to gain a sense of humour.

"On what charges!" Harry roared.

There was a scuffling behind them as a few Aurors came through the throng of people and Umbridge stepped to the side. The Aurors then dropped the body of Craig Armstrong on the floor and Umbridge continued to smile as sweetly as ever.

"Murder," she said, tilting her head to the side, "In the course of trying to break Mr Malfoy out of prison she injured one of the guards and when she came across the coroner and he proved to be too much of a challenge to keep quiet, she killed him."

Hermione looked down at Craig with saddened eyes and knew instantly that she had been wrong about the cloaked man leaving. He must have come back and murdered Craig once she had left.

"It won't be long Granger," he told them, "Soon you won't have anywhere to run."

With the shock of realisation she looked up at Draco who looked away from her in shame.

Draco almost dying in the courtroom.

Lucius saving him.

Hermione running to save Lucius from the dementors.

Smithy Imperioused.

Being attacked by the figure.

Craig murdered.

It was all some sort of plan that had gone into motion the moment Hermione had told Draco she knew about the Imperious Curse on Parkinson. It was all connected, all planned, all staged and now there was nothing she could do about it.

Except make a plan of her own.

"You're wrong," Harry yelled at Umbridge, "Hermione wouldn't hurt a fly off the battle field, certainly not an innocent man-"

"Are you daft woman?" Severus argued, "This is Granger we're talking about here, part of the Golden Trio for Merlin's-"

"You are completely and utterly out of your mind if you think Granger could ever-" Rabastan shook his head.

"I'm quite prepared to hex your arse into next week Umbridge," Ginny told her, "Keep your mitts off her or you'll be coughing up bat bogeys for a month-"

She felt Lucius' arms around her tighten, as if to protect her even further from what was most undoubtedly going to happen. She had a feeling that he would confess to being responsible if she asked it of him but she never would and it was for that reason that he stayed silent.

"Mr Potter," Umbridge raised her eyebrows, "I'm waiting. If you do not arrest her then I will have one of the others do it, you will lose your job and you will never work in England again."

"Oh please," Harry scoffed, "I'm the guy who saved the Wizarding World's arse twice from Voldemort," there was a collective shudder, "Anyone in this country would be more than willing to-"

"Do it Harry."

He stopped dead and turned to his best friend.

"What?" He asked.

"Arrest me," she said to him.

"Hermione, you're not seriously telling me that you did it, are you?"

She shook her head.

"That's not what I said," she told him, "Just do as I ask and I'll explain when we get to the interrogation room."

She then turned to all her team members that were there.

"Rabastan, you're in charge of the case until I get out," she told him, "Ginny I need you to report everything you find to him, the same goes to Lavender too. You are all to stay at my house regardless of the fact that I'm not there and if I find that even one of you isn't there when I get back I'm going to hex all your behinds into next week!"

They all nodded and then she turned to Lucius, allowing herself to curl around him once more.

"I'll be back soon," she told him, turning to leave but noticing that he wouldn't let her go.

"Don't you dare come back," he told her quietly so only she could hear, "Don't you dare lock yourself in this hell hole."

"Or what?" She challenged, "Going to hex me?"

He glared down at her and she smiled at him before giving him one last squeeze and moving towards Harry.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to her as he bound her wrists behind her back and extracted her wand from her pocket. Flashes from cameras blinded them and quick-quotes-quills began scratching all around. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be all over the front page in the morning. Harry moved her past them swiftly and out onto the raining apparation point before taking them both back to the ministry. Once inside he spared her the humiliation of walking through the atrium in bindings and let her walk beside him instead.

"What really happened?" He asked her.

"I'll tell you once we get to the interrogation room, Harry," she told him, "With what I saw today I can't risk anyone over hearing anything."

He gave a nod and they continued on. It wasn't long before they arrived in a tiny little room with a one way shield in place of a large window. Hermione knew they wouldn't have a lot of time left until Umbridge got there and asked for a real interrogation so she spoke quickly.

"I went to go and save Lucius from the dementors," she told him, "I had no intention of breaking him out of prison, just keeping them at bay until the next trial. Don't ask me how I was going to do it for that long, I don't know and it's not all that important now. The point is that when I got there Smithy was under the imperious curse and I was attacked by someone."

"Who?" He asked.

She went silent for a few moments before picking up on a different track.

"I went running for it," she told him, "I spotted the morgue door, told Armstrong to run and we went and held tight in his freezer where he keeps all the bodies. I managed to look at Kingsley's body while I was in there and while the intruder was trying to get in I found out that I was right about the murders being connected. Kingsley, Bellatrix and Avery were all killed by the same person, using the same method."

"Who?" He asked again.

"After a while he stopped attacking the freezer and then he left a message for us," She continued without stopping, "He turned around and told me that soon I wouldn't have anywhere left to run. This got me to thinking that it was all connected. Malfoy turning up injured, getting Lucius thrown in prison, me getting attacked, the murders…Someone, and I don't mean Draco, doesn't want Lucius getting out of prison. Someone is trying to stop me from defending him. I was the main target today but the intent wasn't to kill me, it was to get me thrown in prison so that they could kill me there and no one would think any more of it due to the fact that there are so many people in there who want me dead. That way they can get away with it without being seen or heard, just like the other murders. That's why he killed Armstrong and more than likely wiped Smithy's memory so there's no way I'm getting out of prison in a hurry-"

"Hermione forget all the details, I can get them off you later," he finally cut her off, "I need to know who did it."

She seemed to freeze up in fear for a few moments. How could she possibly tell him her suspicions? It would destroy him to know what she thought. But she had to suck it up and get on with it. She took a deep breath.

"Harry," she whispered, looking so repentant for what she was about to say, "You need to go to Voldemort's grave site…and see if he's still there."

He froze as he looked at her in terror and disbelief.

"No," he shook his head quietly, "It's not possible."

"Harry-"

"We got all the horcruxes Hermione!" he bellowed, "We found them all and then I killed him! If he was still alive he would have come after me by now."

She looked at him sympathetically.

"His plans may have changed," she whispered, "Now that we know how he controlled most of his Death Eaters perhaps-"

"No!" He yelled, standing from his chair and pacing about the room, "You're wrong! There is no way in hell that he could be back! Not again!"

"Harry listen to me!" She yelled back, standing also. She walked up behind him and spun him around to face her, holding him there and staring him hard in the eyes.

"You need to make sure," she said sternly, "We can't take the risk of letting him walk around unnoticed again. Think of the damage he did in our fifth year at Hogwarts. Now that everyone thinks he's dead he could do so much more than that! You need to check!"

"If he's back then why didn't he come after me?" He asked her, "Why did he go for you?"

"I don't know," she whispered, "But you need to be sure."

He looked at her for a few moments, lost, confused and grief stricken at the thought of his worst nightmares coming back to life again. She could see the emotion in his eyes as the thought of it slammed into him over and over again.

"He can't be," he croaked, his voice cracking under the strange, "He can't."

She took him into her arms then and there and whispered to him as other people entered the room behind the one way shield.

"There are only four of us who know where he's buried now that Kingsley is dead," she whispered, "Take Severus with you and find out for sure. Get McGonagall to go if you think she needs to know. Just make sure you find out."

"What about Ron?" He asked, "He was in this as much as we were."

She thought about it for a few moments.

"If he'll talk to you then take him too," she said, "As much as I hate to admit it, he deserves to know too."

He gave her one last hug and when the interrogation room opened on their end he let her go for the last time. With a lingering touch on her shoulder he left the room, hoping to seek the answers he wanted at Voldemort's tomb.


	21. Surprise Surprise part One

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Ok I know, I know, it's been ages, but real life has to take priority at the moment. I've started working for a massive company and I've just come back from Indoor Netball Nationals so I'm running on empty! But rest assured I'm continuing on with all my stories and there should be some new chapters up for the others...eventually.**

**Thanks in advance for all the wonderful reviews you're going to leave me!  
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**~VTM  
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**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Twenty One: Surprise Surprise part One

Completely oblivious to all that had been going on, another member of Hermione's team sat on the concrete of the first floor of the Ministry with a frustrated scowl on her face. The door she had placed herself in front of looked brand new with silver linings on the handle and varnished wood gleaming in the light of the fake window that sat behind her. She was rather grateful for the Blast-Ended Skrewts that Harry had placed at each end of the corridor, otherwise she would have been caught performing some rather illegal magic.

And yet despite all the force she had put behind her spells the door still looked brand spanking new, not a scratch on it and still sealed shut. And Lavender' patience was slowly running out.

She had tired every spell she knew ranging from make up to unforgivables and still she had nothing. How the hell had they gone and protected this office? She had always been taught that there was nothing that could stop the killing curse and yet when she had fired it at the door out of sheer anger, it had rebounded and almost killed her. She was starting to think that the ministry was hiding more than she thought…

***  
"You'd better start talking Granger or else you might regret it."

Hermione sat there panting as two of the worst aurors she had ever seen glared down at her, trying to intimidate her and failing miserably. She could feel quite a few bruises forming on her face from where they had hit her but she wasn't worried. She had suffered worse after all.

She couldn't help but laugh at their pathetic attempts at interrogation.

"You two are perhaps the worst torturers I've ever come across," she smiled darkly, "And I've come across a lot. I mean come on! I'm Hermione Fricking Granger, best friend of Harry Potter, The-Man-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-Voldemort's-Scaly-Backside! You'll have to forgive me gentlemen but…I've been tortured by the best!"

One of them seemed to get pissed off by this information and hit her again. Oh, she was going to be so bruised in the morning! Perhaps she should tell them that just to make them feel better?

Nah, she thought to herself, this is too much fun.

"You know," she heaved as she turned to look at the two of them again, "Hitting someone is no way to get information."

"And how would you propose we do it?" One of them asked snidely.

"Perhaps a nice cup of tea?" She asked sweetly, "Personally I prefer firewhiskey but whatever flies your carpet…"

The other one rolled his eyes and then hit her again.

"No wonder I hated you in school," he snapped at her, "You're such a know-it-all."

"Merlin Smith it took you that long to figure it out? You know that's probably why I hated you so much in school. You were always stating the obvious!"

Crack! That was definitely a broken rib and yet somehow she couldn't stop herself from laughing at him. His anger was just so amusing! She knew that it would probably get her killed before she made it to Azkaban and yet she couldn't help it. Goading him was just too much fun and she hadn't been this…well she wasn't happy but she was certainly amused.

"You'd better start talking Granger," one of them told her, "We've been given permission to use any means necessary to secure a confession."

"Ha!" She laughed, "That certainly does sound like our dear Minister doesn't it! I'll always remember the time she threatened Harry with the Cruciatus Curse if he didn't tell her who he'd been trying to contact inside her fireplace. She didn't seem to care that he was only fifteen, The-Boy-Who-Lived and possibly the Chosen One."

Smith raised his fist to her again and when it was about to connect with her face the door slammed open.

"Touch her again and it will be the last thing you'll ever do."

Through all the pain she was feeling she couldn't help but be shocked at who was standing in the doorway.

***  
"Tell me everything from the very beginning."

Rabastan sat across from Ginny with his head in his hands as he tried to concentrate on what she was telling him. So much had happened in the last twenty four hours that his head was beginning to spin. Between Hermione and Malfoy getting arrested and now finding out that Malfoy had a secret wife…

"It's all a bit much isn't it."

He looked up to see Narcissa standing in the doorway, staring down at him kindly. Ginny looked between the two and gave a tiny nod to show she understood and left the room to let the old friends talk. Narcissa sat beside him on the couch and placed her hand over his in a gesture of comfort.

"I just don't understand," he told her quietly, "How could things have gone so sour so quickly?"

"To be honest with you I don't either," she told him, "But it was always like this in the old days wasn't it? One moment everything was fine and the next you and Lucius were in Azkaban…Perhaps, we should deal with it like we did then?"

"What?" He asked sarcastically, "Rape, pillage and plunder everything in our path until Umbridge decides to let Hermione and Lucius out of prison?"

She gave a tiny tinkle of laughter.

"No," she told him, "We fight fire with fire, use Umbridge's weaknesses against her and then make our demands."

Rabastan thought about it for a few moments and then looked up at the woman.

"Sometimes I wonder how Lucius and Zabini wound up with a woman like you," he smiled.

"They must have done something right," she smiled back.

"So how do I use Umbrige's weaknesses against her?" He asked, "I don't even know if she has a weakness."

"Granger put Brown on the job did she not?" She asked, "Let Brown do what she has to do and then use whatever she can come up with."

"Hmmm," he mumbled, "I only hope Lavender can come up with something."

"Oh," Narcissa said with a smile, "She's Lavender now is she?"

"Shut up, woman," he smirked as he nudged her on the arm, "Nothing's happened yet."

"Yet," Narcissa emphasised, "And I take it that if you have your way quite a bit will be happening?"

He smiled at her for a few moments before staring into the fireplace.

"She's wonderful," he told her, "She's gorgeous, kind, funny, wonderful with Aria…What more could I ask for?"

"Indeed," Narcissa said with a knowing smile, "You do realise that this was Granger's plan all along?"

He looked at her strangely. Narcissa sighed.

"Lavender Brown is a notable member of the community," she told him, "She's a member of the Order of the Phoenix, has an Order of Merlin Third Class, is a truth columnist for the Daily Prophet and is now working to help set an innocent man free. Once this is all over, if Lucius is out of prison she will be given quite a bit of recognition for the triumph, especially if she manages to take down Umbridge in the process. Granger will see to that."

He still continued to look at her funnily and she smiled again.

"If by some miracle you end up with her," she said quietly, "No one will look at you when you enter a room. You'll be able to hang around the pub without being stared at, Aria could finally go to Hogwarts…"

He could see it. He could really see it, right before his eyes. If he did end up with Lavender then she would bring so much more to him than a loving relationship and a good step mother for Aria…she would give him his freedom back.

"I think I like the sound of that," he whispered with a smile and Narcissa laughed.

There was a small pause between them in which a thought came to mind for Rabastan.

"Did you know your son was married to Astoria Greengrass?" He asked her. She seemed to freeze for a few moments before nodding.

"Yes I did," she said quietly, "How did you find out?"

"Mrs Potter found out when she was researching for Granger," he told her, "Apparently Draco was in St Mungo's last month when one of his clients cursed him for losing. Astoria Malfoy signed the release papers. And I'm pretty sure that Lucius never had the time to adopt another child while in Azkaban."

She nodded in ascent for him.

"Draco was keeping it quiet," she told him, "He didn't want the world to give Astoria the backlash that he had been receiving since the end of the war. He was planning on going public with it this year but then Lucius' case popped up and…"

"Understandable," Rabastan nodded, "Even more backlash would ensue considering he's the prosecution."

"And I hope you can understand my reasoning for not telling you," she said, "He's my son after all."

"I think that-"

He was cut off by the wooshing of the fireplace and Harry Potter emerging through emerald green flame. He was ashen faced and obviously disturbed by something but Rabastan didn't care. He stood in the man's path with worried eyes.

"How's Granger?" He asked.

"Where's Ginny?" He ignored Rabastan's question.

"In the kitchen," he told him, still blocking his path, "What's happening with Granger?"

"She's being charged with murder and attempting to break Malfoy out of prison," he told him, "Get out of my way! I need to see Ginny!"

He pushed past him and Rabastan followed.

"She needs a Law Enforcer-"

"No she doesn't," Harry told him, "She's already got one."

Rabastan stopped dead for a few moments in confusion before following Harry down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Harry moved immediately to his wife and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Where's Ron?" He asked her.

She blinked at him in confusion.

"Ginny I need you to tell me where Ron would be today."

"Hang on Potter!" Rabastan said, "What do you mean she's already got one? Who is it?"

"Malfoy," he told her before turning back to Ginny.

"WHAT?!"

Harry lost his patience. He turned back to Rabastan, slamming him into a wall with the most fearsome look he possessed.

"Shut up," he said quietly before turning away from Rabastan and back to his wife, "Where is Ron?" He asked again calmly.

"I think he might be with George in the shop today," she said, looking completely dumbstruck, as did Rabastan until he regained his composure.

"Potter what's going on?" He asked him. Harry went to walk away but Rabastan caught him by the shoulder and turned him around, "Harry tell me what's going on?"

Harry seemed to stare at him for a few moments, debating whether he should tell him or not. Hermione said not to create mass hysteria and yet he couldn't help but feel that he should scream it out to the world. They all deserved a chance to get away if it was true, they all deserved a chance to prepare.

"Hermione's given me some information," he told him quietly, "Don't ask me what it is because we're not even sure if it's true yet and there's no point in you knowing until we do. I just need to find Ron and Snape as soon as possible."

"Why didn't Granger give the information to me?" He asked Harry.

"Or me for that matter," Ginny chipped in.

Harry didn't answer them. He had decided that he could explain once everything was sorted, once he knew the truth. There was no point in making them worry now if there was nothing to worry about. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds to try and stem off the nasty headache that was threatening to take over and looked at his wife. She was worried, he could see in her eyes. She may have been scowling at him but he had always known when she was covering up. Likewise, she knew that he was worried too and was hiding something from her. She suddenly lost the scowl and moved towards him, placing her hand on his cheek and watched as he breathed a little easier with her touch.

"What's going on?" She asked him quietly.

He wanted to tell her the truth, he really did. Of all the people in the universe she had the right to know what was going on and yet he couldn't bring himself to utter those fatal words. It would shatter her world, it would shatter all their worlds. He couldn't do it to them, not now.

He pulled her into a tight embrace before kissing her passionately for a few moments and then walking out the door. She watched him apparate away with a new feeling of dread washing over her. The last time he had kissed her like that he had gone hunting for horcruxes the next day. But she was determined. If he had to do it again, she would be right there with him this time.

She dropped what she was doing instantly and moved out of the room to which she was followed.

"And where are you going?" Rabastan asked her exasperatedly. She grabbed her coat from the coat rack and walked out the door too without saying another word. He watched her apparate away just as she watched her husband and let out an annoyed huff.

"Bloody Potters." He muttered before getting his coat too and apparating out of the house, leaving whomever was left to their own devices.

***  
He landed outside the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic and cautiously made his way inside. After all the years of stares and glares he had received he was not exactly surprised nor frightened by his reception inside the Atrium. They all stared at him like he was bubotuber pus on the bottom of their shoes, something that tarnished their vision, a monster capable of destroying all that they knew. And he was. Not a monster but capable of bursting all their bubbles, shattering the perfect little world that they lived in. In a way he sort of felt sorry for them. They had become so shallow minded since the fall of Voldemort but in a way it wasn't really their fault. They were just so frightened that it would happen again, so scared that their nightmares would or could come back to haunt them that they had to persecute anyone and anything just to keep themselves safe.

He knew it was a long shot that Lucius would ever win his trial and on the off chance that he did there was no way that the Wizarding World would ever accept him. Their bubbles of delusion were just so thick that they would never allow him to be seen in a positive light whether innocent or not.

It was with those thoughts in mind that he bypassed the Blast-Ended Skrewt at the end of the hallway, sleeping peacefully after a hard day's worth of guarding and made his way to the Minister for Magic's office.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

He ducked just in time as the curse rebounded off the door and in his direction and when he came up again, battle ready and willing to fight for his life he almost laughed. Lavender was an absolute mess. Her hair was as bushy as Granger's, she was breathing heavily and the scowl on her face clearly said that she was frustrated, fed up and ready to kill anything that so much as tapped her on the shoulder. It was for that reason that he pulled an Umbridge and coughed instead. He was expecting to see and exhausted smile when she looked up but instead she glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" She spat.

He blinked at her for a bit before realising just how long she had been trying to get that door open. It was for that reason, he didn't take her tone to heart.

"I came to see how you were going," he told her as he finally felt safe enough to approach her, "And to keep you updated. Considering you've been up here since the hearing I would say that you've got no idea what's been going on."

"Unless it's got something to do with this bloody door and how to blast it off its hinges I don't want to hear it!" She screamed while aiming another curse at it, which also rebounded in Rabastan's direction. He dove to the floor, taking Lavender with him and landing directly on top of her where she just about screamed.

"Merlin's dirty old underpants!" He roared, "Have you lost your mind?!"

"It won't open!" She screeched, slamming the back of her fist into the concrete floor, "No matter what I do it just won't budge! I've thrown potions, unforgivables, hexes that not even Malfoy should have heard of and it just-"

She was cut off where her lips were obstructed from moving by his. He kissed her so hard, with so much passion she thought she might explode and when he finally pulled back he had this sheepish grin on his face that she found rather cute.

"Sorry," he said with a lopsided smirk, "But you have no idea how-"

He didn't get to finish what he was saying either.

***  
To Severus Snape this was rather ironic if not repetitive. Once more the good guy was persecuted and almost thrown in prison, the bad guy was seemingly non-existent and the entire situation was screwed beyond repair. And Severus was tired of it.

It was a slap in the face to say the least.

Just when he thought he was out they drew him back in. He had thought that his days of spying and danger and heart ache would have been over by now, that he would be able to move into the next phase of his life. But it seemed that the gods enjoyed playing with him far too much to let him be happy. It was for that fact and that fact alone that he went with Potter to Hogwarts to retrieve Minerva McGonagall and inspect the tomb of Tom Marvolo Riddle to see whether he would try to murder them all again.

"Harry?"

Potter turned to see Ronald Weasley following meekly behind them. They had been to pick him up only half an hour earlier and it had taken just under half an hour to explain to him the dire situation that they were now in. Severus rolled his eyes at the bumbling fool. He would never understand what Granger or Potter saw in him. He had done nothing but hold them back in his eyes.

"What is it Ron?" Harry asked impatiently. Apparently he was beginning to feel the same way.

"What are we going to do?" He asked as they kept walking, "What are we going to do if…you know… he is back?"

Harry looked away from him and didn't answer. It was clear that he had absolutely no idea what he would do. The mere thought of it was enough to send him running in the opposite direction. He was scared. Severus could tell. Yet he stood there and led them to the castle as if he had no other choice. Stupid Gryffindor courage.

The moved swiftly inside the wrought iron gates and up to the castle with haste, not wishing to be here much longer. They moved quickly inside and up the staircases without a word, making their way to the Headmistress's office and once greeted and inside they began to tense. There was no way the Minerva was going to take this well.

"What can I do for you boys?" She asked as she sat behind her desk, "If this is Wizenagmot business, I'm afraid that I'm not the one to talk to."

"This has nothing to do with the Wizenagmot Minerva," Severus told her quietly, "And we would very much prefer it that anything that is said in this office or…" he gave a glance to Harry, "Anywhere else in this castle for that matter, remains between us."

She eyed them with suspicion for a few moments before she gave a curt nod.

"Hermione was arrested this evening," Harry told her, "For murder and attempting to break Lucius out of prison."

"So I heard." she nodded, "I find it to be completely and utterly ridiculous."

"It is," Severus agreed, "The idea that Hermione Granger of all people would murder someone to break a Death Eater out of prison is frightening to say the least…However the reason she was arrested in the first place is even more frightening."

"She was attacked," Harry told her, "By a cloaked man and from the way she described the way he talked to the way he went after her…"

He couldn't speak any longer, Severus could see it in his face.

"We need to check the Dark Lord's tomb Minerva." He continued on for him.

She seemed to react the same way that Harry did. She simply sat there shaking her head.

"No," she muttered, "No. It's not possible."

"Hermione knows what she saw-" Harry started but he was cut off by McGonagall standing once more and cutting him off.

"No, Potter," she said firmly, "You defeated him. That's all there is to it. He is not back."

"But what if he is?"

Ron had finally decided to use his voice. He stared at McGonagall timidly as he spoke.

"We don't want to turn this into another fifth year," he said quietly, "If we're not sure…Who knows what could happen."

"As much as I hate to say it," Severus said as he turned back to his boss, "Weasley is right. We can't afford to pull another Fudge here."

It was almost shocking to see the Headmistress so unnerved. In all his years of working with her Severus had never seen her so shaken. It really did show the power that Voldemort had had over them all, what fear he could still bring out in them all. He had become so used to Minerva being so staunch and strong and fearless that this was a moment that was almost unreal.

The older woman finally took a deep breath.

"Where is he?" She asked softly, getting a better hold of herself each second she stood there. Now it was the others' turn to pale.

"You want to come with us?" Harry asked. He really didn't like that idea.

"Of course I want to go with you," she said indignantly, "Do you really think I would just sit here and wait for your owl? Where is he?"

Severus looked at Harry and Harry looked back. She really wasn't going to like this. Severus doubted that anybody would. His final resting place was the best place for him, rather fitting too, but it would be just a little too close to home for some if they knew where it was. Only himself, Potter, Weasley and Granger now knew where he was buried and although they themselves didn't like it all that much they all agreed that it was the best place for him. After all, only Harry could get inside nowadays.

"Follow us," Harry sighed, "We'll take you."

Severus glared at him. He just knew that this trip was going to be bad for his health one way or another.


	22. Surprise Surprise part Two

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Ok I know, I know, it's been ages, but real life has to take priority at the moment. I've started working for a massive company and I've just come back from Indoor Netball Nationals so I'm running on empty! But rest assured I'm continuing on with all my stories and there should be some new chapters up for the others...eventually.**

**Thanks in advance for all the wonderful reviews you're going to leave me!  
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**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this magical world  
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Chapter Twenty Two: Surprise, Surprise part Two

They sat across from each other with firm glares on their faces, her eyes particularly harsh and cold as she gazed upon his face. He glared because he was frustrated and afraid. She glared because she was down right pissed and through all her swollen flesh and bruises and broken bones he could still tell that she had never been so angry in her life, never ever felt so betrayed.

His glare faltered slightly but he didn't give in and as he tried to speak he realised that he was fighting a losing battle.

"Gr-"

"Don't speak," she said quietly, cold as ice.

"Wh-"

"Don't speak. Just listen."

He stared at her for a few moments before he threw his hands up in the air and then folded them across his chest in defeat. She leaned forward in her chair and whispered to him.

"I know what you've done," she told him, "I know what you plan to do and I know…what your master plans to do to me."

Draco's eyes narrowed at the word "master" but didn't say anything at all.

"I don't care what his motives are," she continued, "As far as I'm concerned he can rot in hell and eat maggots for the rest of eternity. What I am concerned about is you."

He raised his eyebrows at her as if to challenge her.

"You've only just dragged yourself out of the shadows," she told him, "You've only just escaped the mistakes you made last time, so why on earth would you want to go back? What has he done to make you so frightened that you would rather serve him than lay down your life just as you would have before this trial began."

He raised his eyebrows even further.

"I know you Draco," she persisted, "I was the first person you reached out to after the war. I know you. You can't hide everything from me like you do from everyone else. What has he done to you?"

He said nothing. She glared at him as she stood from her seat, clutching her ribs to stop herself from toppling over.

"Is he the reason you're so keen to put Lucius in prison?" She asked harshly, "If it is, I must wonder whether you're trying to hurt him or save him. If you think that sending him back to Azkaban is going to save him from this lunatic then you-"

"Why in Merlin's name would I want to save him?" Draco growled, "After everything he put me and my mother through, why on earth would I want to help him?"

"You may not want to help him but I can see that you don't really want to hurt him either," she glared, "You know deep down that he's a decent man, that he was influenced by the Dark Lord just as much as everyone else. What you fail to see are the sacrifices he made-"

"SACRIFICES?!" He roared, "THE ONLY SACRIFICES MY FATHER EVER MADE WERE HIS SON AND HIS WIFE! NOTHING MORE!"

He stood from his chair in his anger and shoved the table that was between them out to the side with great force. He stood there breathing heavily, his anger and frustration emanating around the room, almost suffocating her in his hatred.

"Why do you hate him so much Draco?" She asked, "What has he-"

"How can you be so blind!" He yelled, stepping forward and shoving her into the wall, not so much that it hurt, but just enough to shake her, "He's using his old tactics Granger! Poisoning your mind with lies!"

"No Draco," she shook her head, "You just don't have the same information that I do."

He let out another mighty roar and kicked her chair away as well with her standing there, completely unfazed. At least until she felt her ribs give her another sting. She began to lean heavily on the wall and eventually collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Stupid Smith and his stupid, useless interrogation technique. She would have to give him free lessons on torture when she got out of this mess. It would be her utmost pleasure.

Draco stared at her for a few moments as she breathed heavily, clutching her midsection and screwing her eyes up in an effort not to pass out. He then heard himself sigh against his will and lean down to pick her up. She leaned on him heavily as he placed her in a chair and examined her wounds.

"What brought us to this Draco?" She whispered, "We've tried cases against each other before and we were still able to sit and have a drink at the end of the day without all malice and hate that usually comes with this job. It shouldn't matter who I'm trying to save and who you're trying to put away. It never has before."

Once more he resorted to silence.

***

"Of all the idiotic things the ministry or, for that matter, you Mr Potter, have ever done this is the worst!"

Minerva McGonagall was not a happy witch to say the very least and Harry Potter, Severus Snape and Ronald Weasley all knew from the beginning that she wouldn't be. There they stood inside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets wide open, waiting for the older witch to finish her rant to they could see whether the world was about to end or not. All they could really do was wince as her shrill words echoed through the ceramic and metal.

"Do you mind?!" Myrtle ducked her head out of her stall, "Some of us are trying to sleep here!"

"Oh shut it you overgrown owl!" Minerva snapped at her, "Some things are more important than your beauty sleep!"

At that Myrtle wailed and howled and dove back inside her toilet bowl. It was then that Minerva turned her fiery gaze back to the three men who were the source of her frustration.

"It was the best place to put him," Harry finally spoke, "I was just as against it as you were, believe me! But then I thought about it. I'm the only one who can get in here. We are the only ones who know where the chamber is Yes, it's inside the school but Hogwarts is also one of the greatest strong holds in the world. If he were to somehow get out of the chamber-"

"HE WOULD MURDER US ALL IN OUR SLEEP!" Minerva screeched.

The other three winced.

"I will be having serious words with the new Minister for Magic once Umbridge has been kicked off her high horse, I can tell you that!" She continued to ramble on for a while until Severus finally stepped forward.

"Might I suggest we stop all the shrieking before we alert the local banshees and actually see if he plans to murder anyone in the near future?" He suggested. Minerva glared at Severus in such a manor that would have made Harry and Ron feel like they were third years about to be sentenced to a week's detention with Filch had it been directed at them and then briskly nodded her assent. One by one all three of them moved down to the giant pit that was Voldemort's grave and Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.

***

Huff, "Wow!" Huff, huff, huff, "That was-"

"Incredible," huff, huff, huff, "I should have known only a," big huff, " Death Eater could have been that good."

Lavender Brown and Rabastan Lestrange laid together in each other's arms in the middle of a ministry corridor and in front of the Minister for Magic's office door out of breath, sated and basking in the after glow of their rendezvous.

"Ex Death Eater," he smirked at her, "Do you think Umbridge would be terribly pissed that we defiled her office door?"

"Terribly," Lavender told him, "Why don't we tell her? Maybe she'll blast it down for us?"

He responded with a tender kiss and a soft chuckle which she returned with enthusiasm before leaning back to look at him, her fingers tracing the lines of his face as she spoke.

"Would now be a good time to ask where all this has come from?" She asked quietly, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining-"

"You just need an explanation," he finished for her, "Is it not simply enough that you're a beautiful, intelligent woman with the nicest pair of-" she smacked him playfully, "I was going to say legs!"

She hit him again with a giggle anyway and he continued.

"I mean everything I say Lavender," he told her, "And when I say that I've harboured an attraction for you since the day we met I'm not telling a lie. Is it really so hard to believe?"

"Honestly?" She said, "It kind of is. We're just so different from one another, different interests, different careers, different lifestyles. I think you're absolutely wonderful and have been through far too much for any one person to suffer and it's for that reason I don't understand why you would pick me out of the lot. I mean honestly, Hermione would probably be a better match for you."

He sat there motionless for a few moments before letting out a bout of laughter.

"The day I shag Hermione Granger is the day Lord Voldemort comes back from the dead and finally kills Harry Potter."

She seemed to smile at this and cuddle up closer to him. He bent his head slightly to rest atop of hers for a only a few moments before the two of them gathered their clothes and their wands.

"So," Rabastan said after a while, "Think you could use a hand with this door?"

She smiled at him and nodded.

"The bloody thing has so much security that it's ridiculous," she said as she rolled her eyes, "Apart from us who would really want to break into Umbridge's office?"

He stood there for a few moments and thought. Clearly they were missing something, something that was so simple that it was passing right beneath their noses.

It was then that a light bulb went off inside the ex-death eater's head.

"Umbridge has only been Minister for Magic for all of twelve hours," he told her excitedly, "With everything that's been going on, do you really think she would have had time to change the security settings that Kingsley placed on his office?"

She blinked at him.

"You mean we're looking in the wrong office?!"

***

She had been taken to Azkaban after Malfoy had healed her as best he could. She still had cuts and bruises from where Smith and his dunderhead partner had beaten her to a pulp but it was nothing compared to beatings she had received in the past. Certain names like Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov sprang to mind when she thought of this and as she looked back on her experiences with all three parties she realised that she had indeed gotten off lightly.

The moment she set forth in the prison she was given a set of old ratty robes to wear and instantly thrown into her cell.

"You'll be sharing with your client," the auror laughed, "Rather apt in my opinion."

Hermione just smirked at him.

"When I get out of here and Umbridge is no longer minister, your department will be the first to be cleaned out," she told him quietly.

"Is that a threat?" He asked unconcerned.

"Not at all," she smiled as he slammed her cell doors shut, "Just a friendly warning."

The Auror did nothing but glare at her until he walked away, leaving her there in the dark, dank cell to contemplate all that had been said and done.

Lucius was in prison.

She was in prison.

Kingsley was dead.

Lord Voldemort appeared to be alive and kicking.

Umbridge was minister.

Malfoy was being held hostage.

She thought about it for a few moments and came to the conclusion that it wasn't like she hadn't faced a crisis before. And besides, she had a counter to everything on that list.

Rabastan and Ginny were working on getting Lucius out of Azkaban.

Draco was working on getting Hermione out of Azkaban.

Harry was there to kick Voldemort's behind if he really was back.

Lavander was working on getting Umbridge kicked out of office.

And they would all find a way to get to Malfoy once the trial was over.

There was no doubt in her mind that Draco was doing all this against his will. She had no idea why or who was forcing him but she knew that no matter what he had been like in school, what mistakes he had made, both as an adult and as a child, he was never this cruel and never this full of hatred. She had no proof but Hermione knew in her gut that there was more going on with Malfoy than what she could see with her own two eyes.

Suddenly the cell doors were slammed open once more and she heard footsteps coming her way. Hermione poked her head out briefly to see what was going on only to see Lucius being guided back to his cell by a couple of guards. They were half carrying him as he stumbled down the blackened path and then shoved him into her arms where they both collapsed under his weight.

"Your turn to look after him Granger," one of the guards told her, "Best not look at him too much though. You don't want the dementors to smell his fear on you when its your turn to pay them a visit."

She turned him onto his side as the guards left and checked that he was still breathing.

"What…a-are you-"

"Don't speak," she told him quietly, "Save your strength. You're going to need it."

"You need to-to-"

"I don't need to do anything," she told him firmly, "You, however, need to rest. The dementors will not treat you kindly now that you're back and I suspect that the prisoners won't either once we get out into the exercise yard. Are you capable of moving onto the bed?"

There was a small single bed at the edge of the cell that was obviously lumpy in places and had springs sticking out the sides. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable place for him to sleep but it would be a hell of a lot better than the stone floor. Unfortunately he shook his head. So she improvised instead.

She pulled the mankey blanket from the mattress and the small pillow, stuffing it beneath his head and covering his body so that the shivering would stop. It was then that she caught him staring at her face and a shaking hand came up, running a callous thumb over a cut that ran the length of her left cheek.

"My-my son-"

"Didn't do that," she told him, taking his hand in hers, "He healed it. He's planning on getting me out of here."

"Good."

Despite her efforts he still continued to shiver from the chill on the air. Without her wand to help him and her wandless magic severely weakened by the beating she had received earlier that day, not to mention the dementors' auras that severely diminished magical capabilities, there really was nothing else she could do. She pulled back the blanket and slid herself underneath, wrapping her arms around his torso and connecting with his body at every point she could make contact with. He didn't question what she was doing but instead welcomed the comfort of a warm human body. After all, it wasn't just the cold she was helping to fight, but the chill the dementors had left on his skin. Her warmth, her compassion and her care for him seeped through every touch she made and it helped to get rid of the despair and the pain that the dementors had left behind. He could only hope that her time with the leeches would not be anything compared to his.

With time the shivering stopped and she tried to pull away but he didn't want her to go. He held her there in his arms until he was certain that she wouldn't leave him there and then relaxed when stayed exactly where she was.

"So what's the plan?" He asked her quietly, staring down at her face, almost content.

"We wait," she told him just as quietly, "Rabastan is working on getting you out of here, Lavender is trying to get Umbridge fired and Harry is checking to see-"

She stopped in mid-sentence when she realised what she was about to say. She hadn't had the chance to tell Lucius what she had seen earlier that day or what she had found out.

And now he was looking at her strangely.

"What's Potter checking on?" He asked quietly, stroking her hair without even thinking about it.

She bit her lip before answering.

"Harry is checking Voldemort's tomb," she told him hesitantly, "My attacker…he was very similar to what I remember of him."

She felt him freeze for the briefest of moments before he contemplated her words and relaxed in her arms once more. She was confused for the longest time before she felt his eyes on her again and he began to speak…

***

"Merlin I was hoping I would never have to go down that hole again," Ron complained as he finally got up from the ground, trying his best to ignore the crunching of bone beneath his feet.

"You and me both," Harry muttered as he too began brushing off his robes and then continuing to walk forward, his wand out before any of the others'.

"Where is it we go from here Potter?" McGonagall asked him as she used her wand to clean herself off.

"We go through this maze of tunnels until we hit the vault door," Harry told her, "And then we see if our fears are valid."

"Let us pray that they aren't," Severus muttered as the four of them began their walk. It took them the longest time before they finally got their bearings, Ron constantly whimpering and complaining at the sound of bones crunching beneath his feet. He simply refused to look down and see that they were old rat bones and not human. Severus remained stoic at the back of the group, contemplating his own feelings about this place.

On the one hand he feared it, the bones, the atmosphere and the fact that it was his old master's tomb. On the other he felt that it was a place of necessity and so he respected and admired it. Potter had been right in saying that it was the only place they could really keep him, not only for the fact that he was the only one who could get in there but the Chamber's own defences also made it the perfect hiding place. The maze of tunnels, the foreboding atmosphere, the bones and undoubtedly what he would see inside the actual chamber would be more than enough to scare off any individual who unwittingly found themselves inside. He also respected its history, this probably being the only part of the castle left untouched during the renovations and reconstruction after the second war, not to mention it was one of the only pieces left of the Founders.

Yes, while the others felt frightened and anxious about this place, Severus felt more at home.

Eventually they found their way to the vault door that would lead them to their answers and Harry had to take a steadying breath before hissing the words that would open it. This was it. Either they were completely paranoid or they were in for a world of hurt. Harry spoke the password in Parseltongue to open the door and the four couldn't help but gasp at the sight before them. There, in the centre of the chamber, next to the decaying remains of his great beast, was the heir of Salazar Slytherin in not one but two forms.

His lifeless body on a slab, still cold and perfectly preserved as the day he had fallen.

And his younger sixteen-year-old-self, sitting upon one of the snake statues nearby, his Hogwarts uniform tattered with holes and fraying threads, the only thing worth looking at being the badge on his chest that had a "P" for Prefect.

A ghost.

He sneered at the lot of them when they entered, wading through the water that had accumulated in the chamber since the last time they had been there and spoke in a voice that told them all that he was clearly not happy about being disturbed.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise?" He said mockingly, "Our saviour has returned to pay homage to the enemy."

They were all too stunned by the sight to speak, Harry most of all. He stood there, staring at Tom Marvolo Riddle without a word to say in his defence as the snide remarks and sarcastic comments kept coming.

"Did you get bored in that perfect little world of yours?" He asked, "Have you come to resurrect me so that I might end your pathetic life once and for all?"

"He's dead," Ron said quietly.

"Thank you captain obvious," Riddle rolled his eyes.

"He's dead!" Ron repeated, louder than before, "He's got a ghost so he has to be dead…right?"

"Somebody make this fool read Magic from A to Z by Miranda Goshawk please," Riddle rolled his eyes again, "Clearly his brain is so under developed that he needs to back to books with lots of pretty pictures."

Ron scowled but Harry answered him anyway.

"Yeah Ron," he said with a relieved sigh, "He's dead."

"Then who attacked Granger?" Severus muttered.

"Granger?" Riddle asked, "Who the hell is Granger?"

"The muggle born who pretty much planned your downfall," Ron sneered at him.

Riddle just rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea.

"I don't know who attacked her," McGonagall said, "But that fact that it wasn't him," she nodded her head towards the skulking teenager, "Shouldn't make us feel any better."

"She's right," Severus told them, "It seems most likely that a former Death Eater is involved. The only question is why."

It was a valid question after all. What could they possibly stand to gain from destroying Lucius' freedom, ruining Hermione's life and placing Wizarding England under Umbridge's iron, pink laced and ruffled fist? It wouldn't get them any closer to resurrecting their master, after all no amount of magic could bring back the dead.

"We need to regroup," Severus spoke again, "Consult the others, particularly Rabastan and Lucius…"

He trailed off as he looked at Harry who was looking at Voldemort's body.

"Potter are you paying attention or do I have to-"

"Shut up Snape," Harry cut him off as he continued to gaze at the body, "You'll ruin my concentration."

Ron leaned over to McGonagall.

"Did he just tell him to shut up?" McGonagall nodded mutely, "Harry's gonna join Voldemort sooner than he thinks if he doesn't watch it."

But Harry still wasn't listening. He was moving closer and closer to it, peering at something on it that the others obviously couldn't see…that was until the ghost decided that he had gotten close enough and moved straight into his path.

"That's close enough Potter," he spat, "Any closer and you will be in for the possession of your life."

But Harry didn't need to get closer. He could see it better now, clear now that he wasn't in the dark. There on Voldemort's left arm where the dark mark would usually be on his followers, was a patch of skin missing. That forearm had definitely been unmarred when Harry had defeated him all those years ago and he couldn't remember ever damaging the body afterwards which meant…

"Someone was in here," he whispered.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Someone was in here!" Harry told them, "Look at his left arm! Notice anything missing?"

They all followed his gaze and one by one their eyes widened.

"But how would they get in?" Ron asked him, "They would have to speak Parseltongue, know the tunnels-"

He cut himself off and started gazing at the ghost of Riddle who was sitting there gazing at them all with a cold smile on his handsome face.

"Knowledge never truly leaves us," he told them, "Not even in death."


	23. Green

**Hello Lovely Readers! **

**Well, I have some good news and I have some bad news...**

**Good News: I should be able to update fairly quickly over the next twelve weeks...**

**Bad News: I've ruptured my Achilles Tendon...**

**So I have a lot of free time on my hands. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please people R&R!!!!!

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Chapter Twenty-Three: Green

"So you're saying that you would know if Voldemort ever came back to life?" Hermione asked him as they sat next to each other on the bed now that Lucius could finally move.

"The mark connects all the Death Eaters through mind and body," he told her, "Just the green marks though. It enabled us to know of the Dark Lord's whereabouts at all times, even in death."

"So theoretically I could have saved Harry a nasty trip down memory lane," she muttered and he nodded mutely for a few seconds.

"Theoretically, yes," he told her, "But you had no way of asking me and even if you did, you had no _reason_ to ask me. There was no way you could have known."

"Well that doesn't matter now," she said, shaking her head, "What we need to know is who is running around impersonating a dead warlord."

"You should leave that to-"

He cut himself off suddenly as their cell door opened out of nowhere. They both stared at the empty space for what seemed like hours but were only seconds before they heard the sound that Lucius had come to associate with impending doom.

Footsteps.

Within moments one of the all too happy guards of Azkaban came to stand before them. She was somewhat younger than the others Hermione had seen at the prison with scruffy blond hair and crystal blue eyes that were crinkled with the lines of a wide smile.

"Miss Granger?" She said jovially, "Come with me please."

Lucius suddenly stiffened and Hermione looked at him confusedly for a few moments. Then, out of nowhere, he suddenly brought her into his arms, his lips right by her ear, whispering words that she thought she would never have to hear.

"Whatever happens," he told her quickly as the guard advanced on them, "Just remember that you are not alone, remember that you are safe and whatever you do…Don't. Scream."

It was then that she realised where she was being taken. She held onto Lucius tighter as she approached them and he clutched her just as hard, his whispering becoming desperate.

"Try to stay calm," he said quickly as he felt her arms being taken away from him, "Don't try to run and don't scream."

She was suddenly torn away from her client and shoved out of the cell and into the waiting arms of another guard. The bars closed in front of her eyes and she was then guided down the path to hell. The prisoners cheered as they saw her being lead past their cells to a room they all feared. She could already feel the chills run up her spine, see the fog leaking from the bottom of the door.

"Now you're going to see how the rest of us feel Granger," she heard Rodolphus Lestrange call out to her, "When you meet my wife, give her my love!"

"I'm sure she's having so much fun in hell that she's forgotten all about you!" She yelled back, making him roar at her in anger and crash against his cell bars.

They dragged her on further, still smiling like maniacs until the woman turned to her colleague and they stopped walking. They stood directly in front of the mist-covered door, Hermione's heart racing with every second they spent just standing there.

"Why don't you go and make a cup of coffee?" The guard asked her counter part, "I can watch her for the next three hours."

"Ellen, you're the best you know that?" He laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek and then departing. The woman's face suddenly changed into the first ever look of worry or anguish that Hermione had ever seen on one of the guards. She turned Hermione's back to her front and wrapped one of her arms around her prisoner's middle, locking her arms to her side. She then pressed her lips to the girl's ear and whispered to her shakily.

"Remember everything that Malfoy said," she told her quickly as they made their way very slowly to the door handle, "Don't run, don't hide and _don't scream_. Just stay in there, look lifeless and think of everything you have to live for. I'm so sorry I have to do this to you Granger but it only has to happen once."

It was that more than anything that made Hermione resist. She struggled and fought the woman, screaming at her to give her answers before the door was opened and she was shoved unceremoniously into the fog, the door locked and bolted behind her.

She would have hammered at the door behind her, were it not for the chills that ran through her body that paralysed her entire being…

* * *

"Well, here we are."

Rabastan stood before the new office door with a weary expression lining his features. Lavender, however, looked rather smug. She could tell instantly that this door possessed none of the strict protection of the Minister for Magic's office. It was quite obvious to her that this door was going to be a piece of cake.

"Do me a favour Rabastan," she said, smirking and not taking her eyes off of the mahogany wood, "And make a very loud distraction down the hall."

He looked at her strangely for a few moments.

"Don't you need to suss out what kind of protection this office has?" He asked her.

"Not at all," she told him, "This door is just a basic break in job. I could probably even use a muggle lock pick and still get in within twenty seconds."

"Just out of curiosity," he said as he looked at her sideways, "How on earth did you learn how to break into locked rooms?"

She suddenly stopped smirking and stared at him seriously.

"You learn how to do many things when you're subjected to hours of torture," she told him darkly, "There was a time when Hogwarts wasn't all that safe and you did what you could to escape the pain."

His face grew dark too at the memory. He may not have remembered much of the old days but there were some things that had always escaped his sister-in-law's binding magic. He had heard tales of what went on during that final year of the Dark Lord's life, what kind of education he had tried to inflict upon the children of the Wizarding World. It had made him physically ill to hear what was going on and he had hoped that when Aria was old enough to go to school that she was never subjected to such treatment.

Thankfully, she never was.

Lavender noticed the expression in his eyes and smiled again, taking his hand.

"It's over now," she told him, "That's all that matters. Now go and make a distraction."

He smiled at her before planting a kiss on her cheek and then running off down the hall once more. It took all of five minutes before he came back to her again and she looked at him rather strangely.

"You're supposed to be making a distract-"

He silenced her with a small kiss before counting.

"Three…Two…One…"

BANG!

Lavender's eyes widened at the sound and Rabastan snickered like a fourth year Marauder.

"Do I even want to know what you just did?" She asked him sceptically.

"Let's just say that a few people are going to be smelling like rotten eggs for the next month if they travel through that corridor within the next half hour," he gawffed.

Despite herself she laughed and turned back to the door that held all their answers. As she predicted they were inside within seconds. The room was horribly decorated in all things pink and lacy with the same kittens hanging on the walls that she had had back in Lavender's fifth year. The poor girl visibly cringed at the sight of them and then noticed that one of the kittens had disappeared.

"Come on," she told him, "Start searching, we don't have much time."

They worked quickly, overturning every piece of paper, looking through every file and eventually opening every drawer inside her desk. They searched through the liquor cabinet, behind the portraits, in every crack and crevice they could find and still they found nothing.

"What is it we're looking for exactly?" Rabastan asked her as he poked his nose into her fireplace.

"Something she wants hidden," she told him as she double-checked the files and photos, "Something incriminating enough to get her thrown out of office and into Azkaban."

"Like this?"

She lifted her head to see him with a brick in his hand. Where the brick had been several papers could be seen including a newspaper article.

"Witness lists released: Secrets behind the Defence and Prosecution cases for Lucius Malfoy Revealed!'" Rabastan read allowed. Lavender walked over to where he was standing and looked over the papers that had been hidden with it and smiled a very evil smile.

"Oh Delores," she chuckled, "You naughty, naughty girl."

* * *

_She was seven years old with no friends and no one to save her as the other kids threw rocks at her. She cried and she cried and they just wouldn't stop…_

"Please…"

_She was eleven, hiding in the girl's bathroom because that nasty boy Ron had been mean to her. It felt just like Muggle School all over again. She had thought that maybe she had found a place to belong but she was wrong…_

"No…"

_She was sixteen watching Ron kiss Lavender Brown as though it would be the last thing he ever did. Anger and jealousy bubbled inside her as tears spilled over her eyes and she ran from the room_…

"Make it stop…"

_She was seventeen, being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, being promised to Greyback afterwards with no hope, no way to escape…_

"No more…"

_She was twenty watching her fiancé go at it with a woman he barely knew, in their bed, on their anniversary. All she did was walk out the door, slamming it behind her to vent her anger. He didn't care for her, nobody did…_

"You're wrong…"

* * *

"…Is it really- AHH!"

Rabastan and Lavender arrived back at Hermione's house via several fire places so that their trail would be cold by the time Umbridge finally got back to her office and discovered her precious papers missing. They had landed right in front of a most surprised Ronald Weasley who looked very disgruntled as he put out the emerald green flames on his pants with his wand.

"Don't you lot ever warn people when you enter a room?" He spat at them, "That's the second time tonight that I've had my arse burned off."

"Serves you right," Lavender told him, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Apparently I'm on your side now," he sneered back, "Got a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact I do," she spat, raising her wand only to be restrained by the three other men in the room.

It wasn't until Harry was certain that she had calmed down again that he turned back to Ron and spoke.

"You'd better get home now," he told him, "If we think of anything or if we think you're in danger we'll give you a call."

Ron gave a few mutters and moved towards the fireplace only to have Severus' hand on his arm.

"I take it we don't need to remind of how important it is to maintain a low profile Mr Weasley?" He asked. Ron looked confused for a few moments until Harry rolled his eyes.

"It means don't go telling anyone what you know, dunderhead," he told him firmly. Severus looked rather amused at the exchange but said nothing as Weasley grunted and then exited the fireplace.

He simply waited until the green flames engulfed the red head before he started talking.

"Dunderhead?" He asked Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"You were bound to rub off on me eventually." He shrugged.

"Someone mind telling us why Weasley was here in the first place?" Rabastan asked impatiently.

Severus looked at Harry and Harry looked at Severus before they both looked back at the pair.

"Hermione confided in me before she was taken to Azkaban," Harry told them, "What really happened before she was arrested."

"What did happen?" Lavender asked as she took a seat on one of the couches.

"Wait, before we get into this, where's Aria?" Rabastan asked.

"Sitting with Mrs Potter in the kitchen learning how to make the perfect Draught of Living Death," Severus told him, "Apparently it's a potion that she's been wanting to learn for a while."

Rabastan was torn between being concerned and impressed. Impressed at how far his daughter had progressed. Concerned that she had wanted to make such a volatile potion. He would have to talk to her before the night was out.

"So what happened?" Lavender asked, drawing attention back to the matter at hand.

"She was attacked," Harry told her, "By someone she thought was Voldemort."

Rabastan blanched and Lavender's eyes widened.

"Please tell me she was mistaken," Rabastan whispered.

"Thankfully she was," Severus told him and they both breathed a sigh of relief, "The one who attacked her was simply an impostor."

"The question is…who was it really?" Harry asked.

Lavender thought for a few moments before getting up and pacing about the room.

"How did they impersonate him?" She asked.

"There was a slice of skin missing from the body's forearm," Harry told her, "From what Snape can see it was used to create a more potent, more permanent version of the Polyjuice potion."

"And I take it that his burial site isn't a place of common knowledge?" She asked.

"I know what you're thinking," Harry cut her short, "But there were only five people who knew where he was buried. One of them is dead, another is sitting in Azkaban, one just left through the floo and the last two are sitting in this room."

"I wouldn't put it past Weasley," Rabastan muttered.

"I would," Snape suddenly spoke and they all looked at him strangely, "As angry the boy may be he still does not have enough motivation to go after Miss Granger. He spent the most part of his life loving the woman. Add to that the fact that he does not have the brains to brew the Polyjuice potion at all and there is no chance that he could have done this."

"So who does that leave us with?" Rabastan asked exhasperatedly, "There's no way you two could have done it. I may not like either of you but I know that neither of you are capable of any of this."

"How many Death Eaters are left on the outside?" Lavender suddenly asked.

"Not many," Severus answered her, "A grand total of six."

"Who?" She demanded.

"Rookwood, Yaxely, Amycus Carrow, Macnair and Jugson," Harry informed her, "They're the only one's unaccounted for."

"And the only ones with motive to either impersonate the Dark Lord or try to bring him back," Lavender stated, "You might want to start your search there."

"There's no way they could have known where he was though," Rabastan protested, "We should look at the possible suspects-"

"If we're looking at the possible then it's case closed, they're already here in this room," Harry cut him off, "What's possible isn't the right answer so we need to start from scratch. It doesn't matter how they found where he was buried; to be honest I think Voldemort himself might have taken them there-"

"He would never have ventured so far from his body," Lavender shook her head, "It's not possible."

"Didn't he just say that the "possible" is not an option?" Severus drawled, "This is the Dark Lord we are talking about here. He was always a fan of making the impossible happen, for example, splitting his soul into seven pieces and still walking around to tell the tale over fifty years later."

"Point taken," Lavender muttered. Harry sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We'll start with motive and get to means and opportunity later," he told her before sitting down himself and brainstorming with them on more suspects, possible or otherwise.

* * *

_She was sitting on her bunk with Ron's shirt in her hands the day he had left, crying her eyes out because he had left herself and Harry to fend for themselves…_

"Stop it…"

_She nursed Harry's wounds as much as she could after the incident at Godric's Hollow, but he was still bleeding so much, he wasn't going to make it…_

"…Go away…"

_She watched the little girl fall apart on the stand as everything she knew, every piece of comfort she had felt melted away in a single blow. She knew that she had destroyed someone's life that day, she knew then what she had suspected for a very long time…_

_She was a bitch..._

"No…"

_A coward…_

"No…"

_A monster…_

"NO!"

The dementor's all pounced as she screamed, her open mouth calling to them, begging them to suck out her soul and never return it. She felt their icy fingers on her flesh, their rank, cold breath mingling with her own as she struggled to heed Lucius' warning and stop her screaming anguish but she couldn't help it. It had been hours since they had started their torture and they had been every bit as unrelenting and cruel as she had suspected they would be, playing on her fears, her insecurities and her darkest memories.

And now they had won. She had finally opened her mouth wide enough for them to make their mark and they were ready to stake their claim. They clawed at her skin, getting every piece of her they could and the one fortunate to be closest to her gaping hole would be the one to gain the prize-

But wait. What was that? It was bright. Bright and blue and full of…life. It was an indescribable comfort as it drew nearer and nearer and she couldn't help but wonder if it was the light that everyone talked about. The one that you saw when you were…moving on. It seemed to chase the hands and the sickly breath away, inch by inch forcing them to move and as it came closer the light took shape. It had four legs and luxurious fur that would no doubt have been a beautiful golden brown if it weren't just a manifestation of magic.

A lioness.

"Granger? Granger!"

Someone was shaking her now.

"Granger wake up!" Something very hard connected to her cheek with a resounding smack! It took her a few moments to realise that it was a woman's hand.

"Come on Granger, don't die on me now!"

She managed to open her eyes all the way and stare at the odd guard who seemed, at that moment, incapable of smiling.

"Is-is my time up?" She asked feebly.

The woman breathed a sigh of relief and hit her once more, this time on the shoulder and much lighter than before.

"Idiot girl!" She hissed, "Why didn't you listen?! You just had to scream, didn't you?"

Hermione wasn't even listening as she was dragged out of the room once more, the lioness patronus following just behind her. She could hear the jeers and taunts of the other prisoners ring in her ears but she didn't pay much attention to them. She simply concentrated on her own breathing and tried to stay awake. That was when the cold set in and she began to shiver like she had been soaking in a bathtub full of ice for the last three hours.

"Well," the woman said as they came up to her cell, "At least the worst part is over. I promise that you won't have to do that again."

With that she was tossed silently into Lucius' waiting arms but as the mysterious guard let go of her and her conscious mind began to come back to her, Hermione couldn't help but notice a small slice of green underneath the woman's sleeve.


	24. Forbidden

**Hello Lovely Readers! **

**Ok here's the next bit. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it though I have a feeling that some of you are going to be very pissed at me.**

**As always R&R and PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!**

**~VTM  
**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Twenty Four: Forbidden

_War Hero Turned Villain?_

_Lucius Malfoy more influential than we thought?_

_Good Vs Evil: Hermione Granger crosses the thin blue line!_

These were precisely why Rabastan Lestrange hated Mondays. Anything that happened over the weekend, any slight smidgen of news was instantly reported on the Monday morning and it was always absolute hell for him.

The day the news broke about him supposedly torturing the Longbottoms it had been a Monday.

The day the papers had told the world of his guilty verdict it had been a Monday.

The day people had learned that he had a daughter to take care of it was, you guessed it, a Monday.

It was safe to say that Rabastan Lestrange absolutely detested Mondays with a passion and that wasn't going to change anytime soon, especially when he saw headlines like From Granger to Stranger on the front of the Daily Prophet. He shook his head at the picture of a staunch and proud Hermione Granger being carted off to Azkaban and took an angry sip of his coffee.

Here they were, with evidence enough to get her out of prison, ready to alert the media to the kind of activities that their dear Minister was up to and she had told them to wait. Wait? What the fuck for? Had the dementors already fried her brain? He couldn't help but shake his head again and slam his coffee cup on the kitchen bench. When they had gone to see her it had definitely looked like it…

_"This way!" One of the guards smiled at them and directed himself, Lavender and Severus towards the cellblocks. Potter had elected to stay home and look after the witnesses, his wife and Aria. After everything they had seen and heard that day, they weren't about to leave anything to chance._

_Evidently she had been placed in the same cell as Lucius which was a small comfort to Rabastan. At least then he knew she wasn't going to be raped or murdered by one of the true Death Eaters that were still rotting in this hellhole. He shuddered at the thought of her being put with his brother. He couldn't imagine the kind of torture she would endure if she had been placed there. The dementors would have been child's play._

_They heard all the taunts and jeers of the prisoners as they moved swiftly to the end of the row where she had been placed._

_"Come to collect your golden girl Sevy? But I haven't had a chance to play yet!"_

_"Leave the whore where she belongs! I'm sure she and Lucius are having a lovely old time!"_

_"Come on Rab! Bring her in here for old time's sake! I'll let you have first go!"_

_"And what would your dead wife say about that Rodolphus?" Rabastan bit back._

_"She'd enjoy watching," his brother told him with a maniacal leer, "Especially with a little Mudblood like her. Come on Rab, go and get her!"_

_"You disgust me," Rabastan spat at him before walking away once more. He could hear his brother swearing at him, threatening him as he walked and didn't turn back. He would never let his brother control him again, whether it was by magic or manipulation he would never go down that path a second time._

_It took all of two minutes before they finally came to their destination and the sight they were greeted with was not pretty. Lucius sat on the bed with Hermione rocking in his arms, his face staunch and emotionless as he held her close. It was a glimpse into the past for Rabastan really. He had the high and mighty Malfoy attitude back, the sullen, stern gaze that turned even the bravest of aurors into puddles of jelly and as he looked down at the body in the man's arms he knew why. She was pale, so pale and unmoving. Her body was completely lifeless, her arms dangling, her head only staying up due to Lucius' hand at the base of her neck._

_"Merlin she's not-"_

_"No," he said back, not looking at any of them._

_"What happened?" Lavender asked, immediately venturing inside the cell the moment it opened and closed behind them._

_"Dementors," Lucius growled. Rabastan looked at him confusedly for a few moments. They had never done anything like this to him while he had been there. Sure, they made him feel like absolute garbage but so long as he kept his mouth-_

_His eyes widened._

_"She screamed?" He whispered. Lucius nodded tightly._

_"They knew where to dig with her," Severus said as he sat beside Lucius on the bed and began looking her over, "They've had more than one taste of her before. They knew exactly what buttons to press to get her to do what they wanted."_

_"She shouldn't have been in there," Rabastan said, tight-lipped, restraining himself, "The guards knew what they would do to her."_

_"The guards don't have any brains, Rabastan," Lavender shook her head, "They don't think for themselves, they just follow orders. It's all they know."_

_Severus carefully extracted the unconscious woman from his friend and laid her on the bed, running diagnostic spells and checking her vital signs._

_"She's week," he told them, "How long-"_

_"Three hours," he told them quietly, still wearing his mask of ice._

_Severus could do nothing but close his eyes and Lavender gasped. Rabastan did the unexpected though. He gave a mighty roar and punched the wall nearest to him, swearing loudly when his hand broke. He was angry, angrier than he had ever been in his life and he couldn't understand why._

_And then it hit him. It was almost like stepping back in time, lying in his cell, completely lifeless, devoid of feeling, wishing that it would all just end. She was falsely imprisoned, suffering so much- how could he not be angry?_

_Lavender looked at him worriedly before taking his injured hand in her own and caressing it lightly and his anger was slightly subdued. He looked into her eyes and caressed her cheek for a moment, as if to silently tell her that he was alright before he turned back to the two other conscious people in the room._

_"We can get her out," he told them._

_Lucius' mask of icy indifference suddenly faltered, his eyes lighting up at the prospect._

_"I don't think we'll be able to push it for you," he told him, "But we can get her out."_

_"How?"_

_"We found evidence that Umbridge is corrupt," Lavender told him, "She was the one who leaked our witness list to the press. She's directly responsible for the death of Carlos Avery. All we have to do is make our case at an open hearing."_

_"How will that get her out?" Lucius asked quietly._

_"She's thrown a war hero in prison without so much as an investigation," Rabastan filled him in, "They have no proof that Granger murdered the coroner or imperiused Smithy. Once Umbridge is out we'll have no trouble proving that in open court."_

_"Do what you have to," Lucius told them, "Just don't let her-"_

_"No."_

_It had been a small, almost in audible croak from the bed where Hermione now stirred. They all instantly turned to look at her. Some of the colour had returned to her cheeks and she appeared to be breathing a lot easier but she was still deathly pale and looked as though she would throw up at any moment. For a small instance Severus and Lucius thought she was being plagued by the nightmares that normally accompanied a three hour visit with the dementors but then her eyes opened, glassy, unfocused._

_"No what?" Lucius asked her quietly, his hand moving over hers._

_"I need to stay," she told them, taking a deep breath and sitting up, leaning herself against the back wall of the cell. They all looked at her strangely._

_"I think the dementors fried her brain," Lavender said quietly._

_"My brain is completely healthy," she told them, closing her eyes to focus, "Just because I look like death doesn't mean I'm going to kick the bucket anytime soon. I want you to hold that evidence."_

_They all stared at her incredulously._

_"I think you're right Brown," Severus suddenly spoke, "She's off her rocker."_

_"No I'm not!" She yelled and then suddenly clutched her head in pain, "You just don't understand."_

_"You're right," Lucius said, tight lipped once more, "I don't understand and if you plan on making me understand by saying you wish to remain in this bottomless pit to protect me then you will not succeed."_

_"That's only part of it."_

_"Hermione-"_

_"No Lucius!" She said firmly, "It's not up for discussion. Either they hold the evidence or by the time they go to present it in court I'll make sure that it's completely useless."_

_The three others in the room stared at the two and each other._

_"There's no way-"_

_"You don't think I can do it?" She hissed at him, "You don't think I can make it happen? Just try me Lucius. You of all people should know that I always make good on my threats."_

_"Why?" Lucius suddenly hissed, "Why are you demanding that you stay here and torture yourself beyond repair? Do you have a secret fetish for pain you wish to explore? Or is it just a hidden masochistic nature that's finally making itself apparent?"_

_He was angry. It was the only reason he had said it. She knew it, they all knew it and it took all her strength not to bite back. There were so many things she could say to hurt him, so many weapons at her disposal she could use to slice his manhood in half, destroy his sense of self, impale his dignity, his moral compass, his integrity. She could do so much damage but she held her tongue and addressed the others instead._

_"You will hold that evidence," she ordered, "Until I'm ready for it to come out."_

_Rabastan and the others sighed. She was Hermione Granger. Once she made up her mind there was no changing it…_

"Rabastan? Rabastan…"

He was brought back from his musings by a familiar voice. He turned from his coffee cup to see Lavender by his side in his shirt from the night before, her hair messy and a soft smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around his waist and got up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss good morning.

"Where did you go?" She asked, "I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes."

"Sorry," he smiled, "I was thinking about last night."

She sighed.

"You don't need to worry about her," Lavender told him, "Knowing Hermione she's got a plan up her sleeve. Just because we can't see it now doesn't mean we won't when the time comes."

"You're sure?" He asked and she nodded, "Alright then. I'll stop thinking about it."

"We just have to do everything she says and it will work out," she promised him, "Now come and join us in the living room will you? We have strategy to discuss."

He nodded and allowed her to lead him out of the kitchen. Everyone was sitting around the Wireless that was now going at full blast with the day's news.

_"And this morning's top story, Hermione Granger was arrested last Friday for the murder of Azkaban coroner, Craig Armstrong. Reports have been sailing in from all over Britain as to whether Miss Granger, war hero and best friend of the Man-Who-Lived, Harry Potter, deserves to be in prison at this time. With me this morning I have Auror Zacharias Smith, who was the one to interrogate Granger once arrested and Weasley Wizard Wheezes founder George Weasley who as known Granger…"_

_"Most of her life," George's voice chimed in with a tone that projected and image of a wink in everyone's minds._

"What the hell is Weasley doing on the Wireless?" Rabastan asked incredulously.

"Something my mother absolutely forbade me to do."

Each and every one of them turned to see a rather nervous looking George Weasley standing by the fireplace. Harry and Ginny instantly perked up and walked over to him, throwing their arms around him and smiling like idiots.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked her brother, "It's a stretch for mum to let me stay here, how on earth did you-"

"I think the more important question is the one I asked earlier," Rabastan spoke again.

"You can relax old man," he smirked, "I'm here to help you not hurt you. I figured once the story broke out you guys would need all the help you could get so I called in a few favours and got my arse over here."

"Favours from who?" Harry asked, "How did you even-"

"Shh," George quieted him with a wink, "Just listen."

Without another word they all turned back to the wireless.

_"…Shocking to hear that Granger was arrested for anything at all, let alone murder," the host continued on, "Is there anything at all that you can tell us about Granger's interrogation? Anything you can tell us about the crime at all?"_

_"Well," Smith began, "I've been asked to refrain from talking about evidence. Eligibility and all…"_

_"Of course," the host agreed._

_"But what I can tell you is that Granger is unequivocally guilty," he said sternly, "No if, buts or maybes about this. She did it and that's it-"_

_"Now hang on just a moment blondie," George's voice chimed in, "Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?"_

_"If we lived by that rule then Death Eaters like Lucius Malfoy would still be walking around among us," Smith laughed._

_"Well I don't know about you lot but I've learned to trust Hermione's judgement over the years," George went on, "And there is no way that she would be fighting so hard for Lucius Malfoy's freedom if he didn't deserve it."_

_"And what makes you so sure that he hasn't coerced her into it?" Smith countered, "What makes you so certain that he hasn't influenced her in any way? That he hasn't charmed her or-"_

_"Do you even remember who you're talking about?" George laughed, "Or are you still jealous that she kicked your arse at duelling in your fifth year? Either way you are completely and utterly deluded!"_

_"I can assure you Weasley that that has nothing to do with it," Smith replied angrily._

_"Really?" George laughed, "Could have fooled me. Why don't we let the public have their say then hmm?"_

_"Hey," the host chimed in, slightly affronted, "That's my line."_

_"Sorry mate," he apologised in a tone that clearly said he was anything but sorry and continued, "Caller number one! Who are you, how are you and what do you think?"_

_They heard an indignant sigh from the host who promptly disappeared again._

_"Hello George! I'm sure you remember me!"_

_"I certainly do Miss Lovegood! Wait a minute…where are you calling from? Last I heard you were in Amazon searching for the Crimple Dinked-Busby-"_

_"Crumple-Horned Snorkak," she corrected him lightly, "I didn't find any of them but I did find a charming wizard hiding out in a shack who let me use his fireplace."_

_"Nice to hear," George replied, "So what's your take on all this?"_

_"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I've always liked Hermione very much you see and with the amount of Gangles that hang around her I find it hard to believe that she would ever kill someone."_

_"Gangles," Smith muttered in a tone that he probably rolled his eyes to._

_"But I also find it hard to believe that she would defend a man like Lucius Malfoy willingly. He was so horrible to her, not that it was his fault of course…"_

Everyone inside the room froze. Rabastan looked at Lavender completely horrified but George just continued to snicker.

_"What on earth do you mean by that Lovegood?" Smith spat, "Of course it was his fault!"_

_"No it wasn't." Luna told him, "I mean, if you had that many Nargles flying around your head you would be horrible too, wouldn't you? Then again, I do suspect you have an infestation resting behind your ears Zacharias. When I get back to the U.K I promise I'll drop by and get rid of it for you…"_

After that Rabastan could not believe his ears. Every single caller that came in after Luna Lovegood was on Hermione's side, no matter who she was defending. Her supporters ranged from former classmates, to good friends, to complete strangers and it brought him some small well of comfort to know that they would at least support her this much. It seemed very likely to him now that no matter what Hermione did the public would not doubt her again, not after this.

"George where did you find all of these people?" Ginny asked after a while, her face a light with gratitude and disbelief.

"You'd be surprised how many people actually like her enough to support her even though they can't stand her client," George told them all with a slight laugh, "Unfortunately Mum isn't one of them."

"Oh she is going to scream at you so much," Ginny shuddered.

George just shrugged.

"I had to do what I thought was right," he told them, "There's no way Hermione deserves to be in there."

"Yeah, well try telling that to her," Rabastan muttered. George looked at him curiously.

"They went to see her after she'd been chucked in prison," Harry told him, "We have a way to get her out but she doesn't want us to do it."

"Trying to protect Malfoy?" He asked.

"You would think so but then she said that that was only part of it," Ginny told him, "She's being completely ridiculous."

"She's being Hermione," George smiled, "Look if she says she can hack it then she probably can. Just give her some time."

~O~

They had sat there for quite some time after the others had left not speaking to one another. To Hermione, their cell seemed more barren and empty without any sort of chatter or contact. It was almost like being stuck in a deep, dark pit with no way to get out and no way to find comfort. It was like this for two days where Lucius would volunteer to sleep on the floor and insist she take the bed no matter how much she protested and that would be the extent of their communication.

Finally when Monday rolled around she had had enough.

"Lucius this is completely ridiculous!" She told him, "Stop being such a prick and get your arse on this horrid, lumpy mattress this instant!"

For a moment he thought he was dealing with the old Granger, young, bossy and unbearably stubborn. He simply glared at her, giving her one of his iciest looks before turning away from her altogether.

"Ok," she huffed, "I get that you're angry with me. I get that you think that I am endangering your case by staying here but you are acting like a petulant child!"

"Did it ever occur to you that this has nothing to do with the case and everything to do with your own health?" He asked coldly, still not turning his head towards her.

She huffed again and got off the bed and stood next to him, even going so far as to take his face in her hands and wrench it towards her.

"I am your Law Enforcer!" She growled, "It is my job to risk my health for my client. Especially a client who has spent the better part of three years falsely imprisoned because of a corrupt government that couldn't be bothered getting off their arses and going through a simple investigation to make sure that all was right with the world!"

"And as a Law Enforcer you need to learn that putting your health at risk is not necessarily the best thing for your client!" He snapped back, taking her hands and throwing them from his face.

"You said only seconds ago that this has nothing to do with the case!" She yelled at him.

"It hasn't got anything to do with the case!" He roared back.

"You just said-"

"I said that it wasn't best for me!" He snapped, "Not my case. The two are not always inexplicably linked!"

The two stood there and stared at each other angrily for several moments, each breathing heavily as confusion began to settle over Hermione's features.

"I…" she stammered, "I don't understand."

Lucius let out a growl and marched away from her to the other side of the cell which wasn't nearly as far away from her as he would have like. Lucius had always prided himself as a man who no one could read, a man who was shrouded in a dark, mysterious cloud that no one would dear to look through. He had never been a man to wear his heart on his sleeve. Yet over the past months since this trial had begun he had been forced to reveal pieces of himself that he had hoped would remain buried forever, find new pieces that he new knew existed and rediscover pieces that he thought he would never see again.

This situation happened to be undeniably linked to those pieces but he wasn't quite sure which just yet.

"Lucius," she said after a while, "We're stuck here together. No matter how much you want out, it isn't going to happen anytime soon. Talk to me."

She felt her hand on his arm, the warmth radiating through the ratty robes he was wearing. He had never been good at this, even with Narcissa he had been really bad at telling people how he felt. To even admit that he was angry was unbearably hard. He had always worn a mask of indifference, even as a child and now he was forced to make it slip away.

"Lucius please," she whispered.

That was it.

He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and backed her up into a wall. She stumbled slightly, surprised by his actions but not at all frightened. She looked him in the eye even though she wanted nothing more than to look away. She held his gaze as strongly as she could and for that he was grateful. If she looked at him then he could judge what he was doing and determine how to move on.

"You should not be in here," he whispered harshly.

"Neither should you," she retorted, "What's the difference?"

He wanted to scream it at her. He really did. For a witch so beautiful and intelligent she could really be quite dim.

"A woman like you should not be here," he told her, "That is the difference."

"Are you saying-" she began in an indignant tone but he cut her off.

"I'm saying that a woman as intelligent," he told her, "As unremarkably kind, as passionate, as loyal, as…beautiful…"

It was then that she caught on. Her eyes widened slightly but still showed no signs of fear or repugnance. She continued to stare him in the eye, as though searching for some kind of lie. Then she looked away, almost in shame.

"I'm your Law Enforcer," she whispered.

"Your point being?" He asked.

"I could lose my job."

"I have more money than god and you're complaining about losing your job?"

"I happen to like my job," she muttered.

"More than you like me?"

She took a shuddering breath when his nimble fingers grazed her cheek and lifted her face to his eyes once more.

"No," she whispered, "Lucius, I'm incredibly attracted to you…"

"Then where is the problem?"

His fingers moved lower to her collarbone and she skilfully hid a shudder.

"I'm your Law Enforcer," she finally said.

"I thought we went through this," he sighed.

"If we start something here…now," she whispered, feeling him press his body to hers in such a way that she felt he had every intention of doing so, "Then I could be thrown off your case."

"That didn't stop you the last time," he told her, his arms wrapping around her body.

"The last time I was completely deranged," she argued softly, half-heartedly, "One might argue that you took advantage."

"Then one would be completely wrong," he told her.

"Lucius we can't," she whispered, again staring him straight in the eye.

"The rest of the world wouldn't have to know until after the trial," he told her, "We're both adept at secrecy…we could probably keep it from the rest of your team if you so wish…"

"No," she whispered. He bent his head to breathe in her scent, his nose nuzzling at her neck, lips running a feathery trail across her flesh. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, enjoying his touch, but her mind was made up.

"No," she said more firmly. He stilled in his ministrations, freezing where he was for a few seconds before pulling away from her and venturing to the other side of the cell once more. She had to knot her own arms around her body to cope with the sudden loss of heat.

"I'm sorry Lucius," she told him, "But I won't risk your future for my own satisfaction."

He didn't respond. She knew he wouldn't.

And once more she found herself alone on the bed and he on the floor.


	25. Monumental Mistakes

**Hello Lovely Readers! **

**Ok hopefully this may stop all the torches and pitch forks that I think will be coming my way in future because you get a little bit of action and if you look closely you might get a few answers too!**

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Chapter Twenty Five: Monumental Mistakes

_She slammed her office door behind her with a shaking hand, ignoring the pleas of her assistant and warding her office so that no unwanted visitors could come and disturb her in her hour of sorrow._

_One year today. One year today they had been married and she catches him in their bed with none other than Cho fucking Chang! He didn't even know her all that well and there they were, thrashing about like a pair of eels on their anniversary! She doubted he even knew that it was their anniversary. She doubted very much whether he'd actually seen her or not. If he hadn't, the way she had slammed the door would probably have given him some idea that she had been home. She could just imagine the sight of him falling off the bed at the sound and then struggling to get his pants on as he ran out the door to see that she'd already gone._

_She sat at her desk and opened the secret compartment that contained her alcohol of choice, today being the strongest muggle vodka she could have found, and conjured herself a shot glass._

_To her surprise, she wasn't crying. She wasn't even upset by the actual cheating. The only thing that really bothered her was the fact that he had chosen to do it on their anniversary and in their bed. Truth be told, she had known that their marriage was coming to an end for the last six months and just hadn't had the guts to tell him and now as she breathed in the heavy sent of the vodka she could only regret losing her Gryffindor courage._

_There was a sudden woosh from the fireplace as Draco Malfoy entered her office as though there were no wards whatsoever._

_"I don't know why you bother to ward the thing Granger," he said, not looking up from the files he was reading, "You know I'll always get through. This case against McNair, have you seen the evidence the defence are sending to us?"_

_She didn't answer. She simply took another shot of vodka and ignored his presence. When she didn't say anything he looked up to see her down the clear liquid in one go. He promptly shut the file, dragged a chair around to her side of the desk and sat down without even asking._

_"What happened?" He asked her softly._

_"You know how I went home to surprise Ron for lunch for our anniversary?" She told him without hesitation._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Big mistake."_

_Draco frowned._

_"Did he hate your cooking or something?" he asked._

_"I doubt he would have noticed any food I placed in front of him," she scoffed, "Especially when he had Chang to devour anyway."_

_Draco's eyes widened._

_"No way," he whispered._

_She looked at him with an expression that clearly said, "Yes way"._

_"I'll kill him," he said, standing from the chair and getting ready to go through the floo but she stopped him with a few simple words._

_"Don't worry about it," she said, "He isn't worth it."_

_"Come on Granger I may be a bit of a bastard from time to time but even I know the perfect woman when I see her," he told her, sitting down again. "You were the best that bastard was ever going to get and now he's gone and thrown it away for a nymph like Chang? I mean, Merlin! Imagine the MSTI's that girl is carrying!"_

_"I'm sure he'll be covered in spots for weeks," she muttered, getting ready to take another swig of vodka but the bottle was taken away from her swiftly, "HEY!"_

_"That isn't going to help you," he said firmly, "And you can't sit here wallowing. You need to get out there, buy yourself some new clothes, get your hair done and get back your title of The Daily Prophet's Sexiest Witch."_

_She looked at him for a few moments in stubborn indignation._

_"What's wrong with my hair?"_

It was a horrid memory but she would rather take this than the pain that the dementors surely would have inflicted upon her.

Hermione sat in a tiny interrogation room with a woman she knew only as the only guard in Azkaban capable of pulling a frown, with a wand in her face and her eyes closed. She felt vulnerable to say the least but it was nothing compared to the pain and suffering she would have felt if she had been left to the dementors.

"Why can't you do this for Lucius?" She asked.

"Because the guards and the prisoners would notice a difference," she told her quietly, beads of sweat pouring down her skull, "You're new. They think I'm breaking you down with the west-end cells before I chuck you to the dementors."

"Why?"

"I just explained-"

"No. Why are you doing this for me?"

The blond let her wand fall away as she stood and wiped her forehead clean.

"Because you don't deserve to be in here," she told her, "And I owe one of your staff a favour."

Hermione stared at her in shock for a few moments before her eyes drifted to the small bout of green on her left wrist. In all the weeks that they had been doing this, this was the first time that Hermione had bothered to ask questions. She had been too stunned the first week, too grateful the second and too worn out on the third from all her fighting with Lucius. She had been in Azkaban prison for an entire month and she had yet to feel the dementors' chill more than once thanks to the glorious witch that stood before her.

"Which one?" She asked quietly, "They're all such good people it could have been any one of them…"

She hesitated for a moment but she eventually turned and smiled at her.

"It was Rabastan," she told her quietly.

Hermione looked puzzled for a few moments but nodded after a while. It wasn't like Rabastan was incapable of doing things for others out of the good will he still had left in his heart…however buried it may have been until now. He was a wronged man after all. He had no need to do things for others.

She looked back up at the woman who was staring into space. She usually did this, seeing as they had to wait three hours before Hermione could go back to her cell. It was then that she decided that now was the time to start digging. The sooner she got the information she needed the sooner she could leave this hole.

"Have you been following the trial at all?" She asked her, "I know the guards aren't allowed to leave the prison but surely you have a wireless that you are able to listen too."

"I do and I have," she told her simply, "You are a brilliant Law Enforcer Miss Granger."

"Thank you," she said, "But you see I've reached a problem in the case…"

"You've reached a very big problem if you're in here," she said, playing dumb.

"True," Hermione conceded, "However that's not the problem I'm talking about."

She said nothing. Hermione looked down at her mark again with sympathetic eyes. She had no idea what this woman had been through but she could only surmise that it had been horrible if she was still hiding from the rest of the world and in a prison at that.

"How did he get to you?" She asked softly.

She stood up suddenly and made for the door.

"Time to go back," she said but Hermione got there first.

"Please," Hermione whispered, "This could free you-"

"No Miss Granger," she shook her head, "This could kill me! And put my daughters in more danger than what they already are!"

"And where are they now?" She asked her desperately.

"As far as I know one is with her father and the other is travelling," she told her, "But neither of them will be safe if I do what you would ask of me. I can't do it Granger, not if it means putting their lives in danger."

"What if I said that I could protect them?" She asked, "What if I told you that my home is near impenetrable? The entire Auror department tried to arrest me some months ago but they couldn't make it past my front porch!"

"It's not enough," she whispered, "I won't do this for almosts or maybes. I need guarantees that my girls, my husband and…my lover will be safe."

Hermione didn't care how many lovers or boyfriends or husbands this woman had so long as she could get her to testify. She would take them all in for Christ's sake! She would build an extra wing on her house for them if she had to!

"Just give me ten minutes on a phone and I guarantee you that they will be safe," she told her, "Ten minutes."

She still looked apprehensive at best but handed over her cell phone none the less.

"Just make sure that my daughters are safe," she told her, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to them.

"Before I make this call," Hermione said, "I need you to tell me everything. Everything that you remember from Voldemort, everything you remember from the war…"

"I don't know if you'll like what I have to say Miss Granger," she told her sadly, "I know I certainly don't."

"Will it-"

"Yes it will help your case," she told her, "It will help your case considerably. That doesn't mean that you're going to like it…"

~O~

Rabastan sat with Severus and Lavender in Hermione's living room, smiling for what seemed like the first time in months. His daughter was sitting there with her tutor reciting ingredients to Merlin's fifth Healing Solution with perfect accuracy.

"You start off with the Biccorn Horn," she said, her brow furrowed in that cute little way her mother used to do, "And then you have the Dragon scales, spring water, a piece of the person you're trying to heal-"

"Skin, hair or blood?" Severus asked her.

"While hair is easiest to get and skin makes the potion more potent, blood is the easiest way to get your subject to bond with the potion?" She answered uncertainly.

Severus gave a nod and gestured for her to continue.

"Right," she said, "After you have the blood the next ingredient you want is…heat. So you need to move the potion onto an open flame and bring it to the boil over a period of thirty to sixty minutes."

"There are some dunderheads out there that believe that you can place Salamander scales in this potion. What would happen if you did?"

Aria gave a snort and rolled her eyes.

"Do they want their heads blown off?" She asked, her words dripping with sarcasm. Despite the fact that she now had a better comprehensive knowledge of potions than most seventh years would ever have, Rabastan was starting to think that she should spend less time with Severus. He was starting to rub off on her just a little too much…

Just as Severus leaned down and let the girl give him an uncharacteristic hi five a bizarre sound began to emanate from Lavender's pocket. When she stood up it became much clearer…

_Oops I did it again!_  
_I played with your heart_  
_Got lost in the game_  
_Oh baby, baby!_

Aria giggled at the song whilst Severus and Rabastan struggled to understand why Lavender was so embarrassed and struggled to answer the offending object.

"I'm going to kill Hermione when she gets out of prison," she muttered, "Hello?"

Lavender's eyes instantly widened at the voice on the other side of the phone.  
"How the hell did you get your hands on a cell phone?" She screeched, "Look, hold on a minute, I'll go and get Harry and Ginny and then I'll put you on speaker."

There was another pause.

"He's right next to me, why?" Lavender said. She then looked down at Rabastan in confusion for a few moments. "Alright you can speak to him while I go and get the other two."

She then tossed the phone to him and he looked at her, completely bewildered. Before he could ask any questions Lavender was already out of the room and so he picked up the phone, hesitantly talking into the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Rabastan," a familiar voice echoed through to his ears, "I haven't got long so you need to listen very carefully-"

"How the hell did you get your hands on a cell phone?" He echoed Lavender's earlier exclamation, instantly standing from his chair, his eyes wide with shock.

"God have you two started snogging or something?" Hermione asked in irritation, "I swear, you're beginning to sound like one another and my ears are poorer for it."

"Sorry," he mumbled, completely ignoring the other portion of her statement.

"Look," Hermione breathed after a while, "I've found some more evidence that will support Lucius' case-"

"In prison?" He asked incredulously, "How the hell did you manage that?"

"That's not important," she told him, "What is important is that I have something and it is going to put a lot of things in our favour…"

He could sense something was wrong. She sounded hesitant.

"What's the catch?" He asked her.

"If I do this," she told him, "If I bring this new evidence to light then it's going to do some terrible things…Including putting you back in the spotlight as well as Aria."

He froze where he stood, almost gazing into space.

"How?" He asked her.

"Well when we get back to trial-"

"No," He cut her off, "I know how you're going to do this…I just want to know how you found her."

There was a long pause over the phone.

"Hermione?" He asked, "Are you there?"

"She's been posing as a guard at Azkaban," she told him hesitantly, "Has been doing so for the last twelve years to avoid the scrutiny and to protect her family…and you."

He swallowed hard and took in a deep calming breath. He could feel tears prickle his eyes as he fought to hold them back from his daughter who had now hugged her arms around his waist to comfort him. She had always known when he was in pain or uncomfortable, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Rabastan," Hermione said, "I know that I said I would help you be free, I know that I promised to give the two of you a better life but this…this could be the only shot we have at winning this. But if this is too much, if you don't- If you don't want me to do this then I won't."

He paused for several long moments as Ginny and Harry entered the room along with Lavender. He looked into the eyes of the woman he had chosen only mere weeks ago and sighed. He couldn't ask her to go through this with him and despite what Hermione had said he and his daughter had to go through it. There were no choices in the matter.

"I would have been foolish to come into this mess thinking that I wouldn't get hurt in some way," he whispered to the woman on the other end, "Do what you have to, to get Lucius out of prison. I'll be there with you the entire way."

"What about Aria?"

He looked down at his little girl who was looking up at him with concern.

"She'll understand," he told her, "Maybe not now but in time she will. We all have to make sacrifices…"

"Alright," Hermione whispered, "I promise that I'll make this up to you Rabastan. I'm so sorry this had to happen."

"I know," he sighed, "I'm sorry too. But what's done is done."

"Ok," she whispered too, "You may want to warn Aria about what is coming though. Give her a bit of time to process it."

Rabastan looked up at Lavender again.

"There's someone else I need to warn as well," he said, "Here. I'll put you on speaker now."

~O~

Hermione returned to her cell a few hours later, being dragged by the woman who was sacrificing everything to save not only her life but Lucius' as well.

As she had been over the past weeks, she was greeted with a frosty atmosphere. Lucius took her from the guard, as he always did and deposited her beneath the covers of the bed but said nothing and did nothing more. She had been sworn to secrecy and so she had to lie there and pretend to be affected by three hours of dementors ramming horrid memories down her throat. The charm that had been placed on her had served to cloak her happiness from the dementors in order for them to feel all was right with the world and while it had left her thoroughly exhausted it still was not the same.

For all his observational skills however, Lucius noticed nothing…or at least that was the way it seemed. Perhaps he had simply chosen not to take an interest after their spat a month before. Either way it made Hermione's job of pretending much easier.

Tonight however, she opted for a different approach. The moment the guard left, giving her one last look of concern, she pulled the blanket off and sat up on the mattress. Lucius eyed her for a moment or two but still said nothing. He then turned his attention back to the wall he was facing and ignored her once more.

It was then that she chose to speak.

"I'm getting out of here tomorrow," she said quietly.

He turned his head in her direction briefly but still said nothing. So she persisted.

"That guard that just dropped me off," she told him, "She's going to testify on your behalf."

He still said nothing. Hermione gave a sad sigh.

"I had hoped we could move past this," she finally told him, "I had hoped that you would be mature enough to act professional with me."

He kept his eyes on the iron bars that separated them from the rest of the world and remained mute. She couldn't take this! She had to leave tomorrow knowing that everything was going to be OK between them once she was gone. She had to leave tomorrow knowing that she hadn't completely screwed things up by doing the right thing.

"Lucius please look at me," she asked of him. He didn't even acknowledge her. Her anxiety was beginning to turn into anger.

She gave a feral growl and got up off the bed. She marched straight over to him and gave him a hard shove in the chest. He looked at her in surprise for a few moments but still said nothing.

"Say something!" She almost yelled at him, "God damn it speak already! You're being such a child! I don't understand how a man of such pride and dignity can be reduced to a snot nosed brat in seconds and condemn the one person who is trying to help him for doing the right thing-"

She had only seconds to register the hard shove into the opposing wall and the sensation of his lips moving over hers. She attempted to resist at first, placing hard shoves at his chest and pushing him away but he was just too much. Within moments she melted into him, his arms folding themselves around her and bringing her so close to his body that she thought she may suffocate. But that wasn't to be the case. He simply held her there and refused to let her go as he kissed her with so much pent up passion and vigour that she thought she would explode. She could tell that he was fighting to keep his hands in respectable places, fighting to maintain control of the manners that had obviously kept him from doing this sooner but she didn't care. In that moment he could have done anything and she would still have stayed there in his arms for eternity.

After several minutes he pulled his head back and rested it against her own, his eyes still closed, hers only barely open.

"Now you stand there," he whispered harshly after a while, "You stand there and tell me that, that was a necessity and not an indulgence."

That made her open her eyes. He had remembered. She had almost forgotten but he had remembered…

"It can't happen again," she said quietly, "I'm more than grateful that you were willing to help me in…any way you could but-"

"I know," he said equally as quiet, "It was a necessity and not an indulgence."

The words echoed through her mind as he continued to stroke her back and her collarbone in unison, her resolve melting with every single caress. Why did he have to be so good at this? Why, Merlin why?

"I can't," she told him honestly, "I can't say that it was a necessity or an indulgence."

His eyes opened but he didn't move.

"Then what was it?" He asked her quietly.

"A mistake," she told him quietly. She could feel him stiffen but stopped him before he could move back behind his icy heart once more.

"It was a mistake that is going to cost me everything," she told him, her arms gripping him tighter, "But I'm going to keep making it. Because now I realise that everything I have isn't worth keeping if I don't get to make that mistake again."

He looked at her, almost in disbelief.

"I just ask one thing from you Lucius," she whispered.

"Anything," he told her.

"Don't let me make it again until after the trial," she told him, "Please, if not for your peace of mind then for mine. I would never be able to live with myself if I got you locked up in here for life. Never."

He looked at her for long moments and still said nothing. He seemed to be contemplating whether allowing her to make this mistake again would be worth going to prison for. She was becoming desperate.

"Lucius I will get you out of here," she told him, "I will. And when I do, you can kiss me all you like, but for now, please, let me go."

With much reluctance he did as she asked and stepped back from her, just as he had a month ago, though this time there was no rejection or anger in his eyes. He stared at her plainly for a few moments before taking a few breaths.

"After the trial?" He asked her.

"I give you my word," she whispered, "When you get out of here…I'll be waiting for you."


	26. Plan B

**Hello Lovely Readers! **

**Ok this chapter took a little while, I know, but I had a fair bit of writer's block for a while. The next chapter is definitely going to be HUGE though so that will take a little while longer again. I hope you guys can be patient with me!  
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**As always, R&R people  
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**~VTM  
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Chapter Twenty Six: Plan B

Blaise Zabini woke up the morning of Hermione's parole hearing with the heavy heart of a worried man. His eyes were weary, his body was heavy and he felt he was at least thirty years older than what he was. He looked down at the woman who lay next to him. She was sleeping deeply, her form completely still, breathing quietly as she dreamed. Blaise wished that he could have that kind of peace.

But it would never come.

Not until Malfoy's name was cleared.

Narcissa had seen fit to divulge to him what her ex-husband had been through all those years ago, and when Lestrange had filled in the blanks that his wife had left he knew that Malfoy had to get off those charges or his mother's name would never be cleared. The moment he had learned the significance of the green mark his heart had soared. He had known all along that his mother wasn't a bad person, he had just never had the means to prove it until now. The only thing he really hated about it was the fact that he had to rely on Granger to do it for him; not because she was a Gryffindor or a Muggle born or a woman, but because she was the only one who could do it. No one else seemed to have the empathy or the passion for this kind of work and that was what this kind of case required.

Blaise had every intention of approaching her after Malfoy's trial was over and asking her to clear his mother's name but whether she could do it at all depended on the out come of her hearing today. All the witnesses had been assured that Granger had a plan, that things would work out for the best and they just needed to be there today in case they had to go to the mysterious Plan B, but Blaise was not convinced. As long as Umbridge was in office there was no way that Hermione would even get parole let alone have her charges dropped and he wasn't too fond of Plan B either. Apparently it was more for Malfoy's benefit than for hers but that didn't change a thing…

Narcissa stirred beside him and slowly opened her eyes, smiling as she saw him awake, a smile that he returned easily.

"What are you doing up so early?" She asked him as he lay back down beside her.

"Couldn't sleep," he told her.

"Worried?"

"Just a bit."

"Don't lie to me."

"Ok, a lot then."

She smiled at him again and hugged her body close to his in an effort of comfort.

"What's the matter?" She asked him.

He hesitated slightly. This was the only part of their relationship that didn't come naturally to him. He could comfort her from sun rise to sun set, he could listen to her talk about how she was feeling day in and day about but he had always had a problem expressing his own emotions. It just wasn't something he had ever done and he had been reluctant all the way through.

However his wife waited patiently and was rewarded.

"I want Malfoy to get out of prison," he told her, "He doesn't deserve to be in there and if Granger doesn't get out today…"

"Then Lucius doesn't have any more of a chance at surviving than a mermaid does against a dragon," Narcissa nodded, "I'm worried about that too."

"How do you deal with it?" He asked her quietly, "You're still able to sleep and eat and go about your day like nothing's wrong…"

She let out a small tinkle of laughter at that. He loved the way she laughed. So lady like and delicate…

"Age and treachery will always out do youth and skill," she told him, "I've had many years of practice dear, it will come to you in time."

It was then that another question came to mind, one that had been bothering him since they had moved in, one that had tried his patience for so long that he could no longer hold it in.

"Do you still love him?" He asked her.

She stared at him for several moments but he could tell that she knew what he was talking about…who he was talking about.

"I will always love him," she told him honestly, "He was my husband for most of my life, my first love…but that doesn't mean that I don't love you-"

"I know that," he told her with a tender smile, "What I mean to ask is…has it been…difficult seeing him again?"

She thought about it for a moment.

"It has," she told him, "But it's even more difficult not seeing him, knowing where he is."

Blaise nodded, gave her a kiss and rolled out of bed. That was all he needed to hear.

~O~

"Please be seated!" Umbridge screeched across the room, "This court is now in session!"

Hermione simply rolled her eyes as she was guided in, her tatty robes clinging to her once more beaten body as they sat her down in a chair. She could hear gasps of shock and horror coming from the stands. It seemed that most of Lucius' audience had turned up to see her trial and it seemed that Umbridge was rather pleased by this. Hermione had known there was a reason for the old toad instructing Smith to beat her up again but she hadn't imagined that she would be made an example of.

It didn't worry her in the slightest.

She saw her team standing just at the back of the room as she had told them to do the previous day, to be ready for Plan B should it be needed. Her witnesses stood just behind them, looking on with a mixture of smugness, fear and satisfaction in their eyes. Forster looked as though he would burst with laughter at any moment and she could only guess that they had all been told about the evidence that had been found.

She was seated next to Malfoy who looked supremely concerned about her injuries. His hands came to inspect her face, which was covered in bruises and cuts, just as it had been the last time he had seen her.

"If she does this to you again I swear I'll Avada her arse myself," he growled.

To his shock she smirked beneath her injuries.

"After today, my dear Malfoy," she said, giving his cheek a light, friendly slap, "You won't have to."

"What ar-"

"This day here by marks the beginning of trial 1349076533220 the Ministry of Magic versus Hermione Jean Granger," Umbridge cut him off, her sickly voice radiating across the room. "How does the defendant plead to the charges of murder, the use of all three unforgivable curses and attempting break a known Death Eater from prison?"

Hermione just sat there smirking at her as she waited for a response.

"Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked once more, "How do you plead?"

Hermione slowly rose from her seat and walked out from behind the table, Malfoy grabbing after her but failing to stop her.

"You think you've won, don't you?" She asked the Minister with a secret smile. Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

"I will ask you only once to retake your seat dear," she said, "I will not hesitate to have you thrown back in Azkaban for contempt."

"Tell me, what did you have to do in order to get this?" She asked, not moving an inch, "Did you promise to have me thrown in prison on bullshit charges? Did you tell him he could have Lucius once the trial was over? Did you promise him full exoneration? Or was it just a simple case of giving him the wards to Kingsley's home?"

Umbridge's face had turned a lovely shade of pink as her temper rose. It seemed she had hit the right note concerning Kingsley's wards. She couldn't help but smirk beneath her black and blue skin.

"You're the one, who gave him the codes, aren't you?" She accused, "Only a high ranking ministry official would have been able to get through those wards undetected. He wanted to get to Kingsley and you wanted Kingsley's job to get to me, didn't you?"

"Miss Granger you will take your seat this instant or be held-"

"No she will not," McGonagall piped up, "I want to hear what she has to say."

Umbridge's eyes widened at the sight of the old woman standing from her seat and gesturing for Hermione to continue.

"Witches and Wizards of the Wizenagmot," Hermione addressed them firmly, "If it pleases the court, I have proof that Madam Umbridge is both corrupt and an accessory to murder. I also have suspicions that she may have been involved in the late Kinsgsley Shacklebolt's demise."

There were audible gasps from the audience and the Wizenagmot stirred with interest.

"And may we ask how you gained such proof while you were in prison, Miss Granger?" Horace Slughorn asked of her.

"My team," she told him, "Has been working on my behalf since I was falsely imprisoned. They have found evidence that Madam Umbridge was the one who sent my witness list to The Daily Prophet, which resulted in one of my witnesses turning up dead."

"Where is this evidence?" Another member asked.

Lavender and Rabastan quickly hurried forward and handed over the letter and the headline that they had found.

"And where did you find these?" McGonagall asked as she put on her glasses to look at them.

"In Madam Umbridge's office-"

"In my office?" Her eyes bulged, "You are hereby under arrest for trespassing on Ministry property-"

"Oh shut it you old toad," Hermione spat at her before turning back to the Wizenagmot, "In light of this evidence I hereby bring a motion to have Madam Umbridge dismissed and held under close guard at Azkaban Prison until such time as criminal charges are brought."

"All those in favour?" McGonagall asked quickly in order to prevent Umbridge from protesting. Slowly, all hands were raised but one. Umbrdige glared down at Hermione, steam practically coming out of her ears. The Aurors approached, Harry right at the very front with a maniacal grin in his eyes as he looked down at the old woman. She stopped by Hermione briefly as she was being led away and glared at her.

"This isn't over Granger," she spat, "He won't leave me in there for long."

Hermione leaned in close to her and glared straight back.

"Even if he does get you out, where are you going to go, you old bat?" She whispered, "You have no authority, no power and are the poorest excuse for a witch I have ever had the misfortune to meet. Even if he decided to let you free of your cage, you still can't touch me."

Just as they shoved the older woman out the doors, Draco suddenly stepped forward once more.

"In light of all this I request that Miss Granger's arrest is overturned," he said loudly, "She was arrested without any sort of investigation and was sentenced to Azkaban before any kind of evidence could be brought to light by a corrupt member of the Wizenagmot."

"Do we even need to take vote on that?" McGonagall addressed the rest of the Wizenagmot to which most of them shook their heads, "Motion granted. Miss Granger is free to go."

Smiles were seen all around. Hermione could hear cheers from some of her team and turned to see them all beaming at her and exchanging hi fives. She noticed with a smile that Lavender's hand was encased in Rabastan's. But she knew that the celebrating wouldn't last much longer. It was time to get back to business, time to get back to saving an innocent man and avenging a few others.

"Right," Hermione said as she turned back to the Wizenagmot, "While we are all here I think it would be prudent to get a few other formalities out of the way."

The Wizenagmot had been stirring and were ready to leave, as were most of their audience but they all stilled as they heard her words reverberate across the room.

"What else do you have in mind, Miss Granger?" Slughorn asked her.

"First of all we need another Chief Warlock," she told them, "In order to continue on with my client's trial."

"She's right," Terry Boot nodded, "We do indeed, and another Minister for Magic would go down well too."

"Are there any nominations for Chief Warlock?"

There was some stirring but no names were mentioned. Hermione looked at all the people standing before her and she could see only one person was really meant for this job. The problem was that she wouldn't be able to take up the post of minister and she needed someone fair and impartial in that job as well. It was then that another idea hit her.

"I hereby nominate Minerva McGonagall for the position of Chief Warlock of the Wizenagmot," she said clearly.

Every single witch and wizard in the room looked at her strangely for several moments. Surprisingly it was Slughorn who once more spoke up.

"You are not at liberty to nominate anybody Miss Granger," he told her, "Only senior members of the Wizenagmot-"

"May second a nomination," she argued, "It never says anything in the bylaws about ordinary witches or wizards being ineligible to nominate others."

"She's right," Terry said, "There's no law that prevents her from putting forth a nomination. Professor McGonagall, do you accept the nomination?"

McGonagall looked uncertain for several moments before a determined expression lined her aged features and she gave a curt nod.

"Who seconds this motion?" Terry called.

"Aye," Slughorn said with a smile.

"All those in favour of Minerva McGonagall becoming the new Chief Warlock of the Wizenagmot, raise your hand."

Within seconds, as though they didn't even have to think about it, all hands were raised. Once more smiles could be seen all around and just as they were all about to leave once more Hermione spoke up again.

"I also have a nomination for Minister for Magic."

That definitely made them stop in their tracks. Some stared at her wide-eyed and others smirked in amusement. Clearly she had come today with the intention of overturning everything that had been done over the past three years and she wasn't going to leave until it was done.

"Who is it you wish to nominate, Miss Granger?" Ernie asked her and she smirked at him.

"I wish to nominate Harry Potter until such time as an election can be held."

Several gasps were elicited from the crowd and she was once more stared at as though she was a victim of one of Severus Snape's most powerful babbling beverages. Harry, who had just walked back into the room, was now staring at her with a completely horrified expression.

"Potter?" McGonagall mused in shock, her eyes unconsciously lingering on the man in question, "Why Potter?"

"Why not?" Hermione asked her, "He's done a great job as Head of the Auror department for the last year, he's a natural born leader and he has had more than enough experience dealing with a crisis. If it weren't for the fact that I knew he really didn't want this job then I would nominate him for the position permanently but as it is-"

"He's too young," one of the members stated.

"Age is just a number," she countered, "It doesn't counteract all the good that he's done, not only for the Wizarding world at large but for the Ministry which had done him wrong time and time again. And I would like to see you come up with someone better qualified."

That shut him up.

The Wizenagmot all looked between one another and conversed amongst themselves, undoubtedly wondering if Hermione's time in Azkaban had made her go bonkers. Harry promptly marched up to her and swung her around to face him.

"What the hell?" He hissed.

"Harry, I'm begging you here," she whispered back to him, "Do me this one favour and I will be in your debt for the rest of my life."

"Why me?" He his angrily, "Why not Snape or-"

"Because I can't afford to lose Severus and-"

"And you can afford to lose me?" He asked incredulously.

"As much as I love you Harry, you're not made for guard duty," she told him, "And let's face it, you're the best person for this job. I can at least guarantee that you won't have me thrown in prison again-"

"Lots of people-"

"And," she cut across him once more, "You also know that there is someone out there trying to kill, not only this case, but me as well. Just because it isn't Voldemort, doesn't mean he's any less dangerous and the Wizarding World needs you in a position of power to make sure that this doesn't go unnoticed. If something should happen to me or to Lucius I need to know that you're there to be able to continue this fight for us. Please Harry, I need you to do this…I wouldn't trust anyone else."

"Mr Potter?"

They both turned to see that the Wizenagmot had stopped their quiet quarrelling and were now staring down at the two of them in what could only be assumed was resignation.

"Do you accept the nomination, Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked him.

Harry still looked unconvinced and slightly scared at the prospect but after a long shuddering breath he turned away from Hermione completely and gave a firm nod. If it weren't for the fact that his wife was out of earshot and would probably draw the wrong conclusion Hermione would have kissed him senseless.

"All those in favour of Mr Potter's appointment as temporary Minister for Magic, raise your hands," McGonagall ordered.

Slowly, very slowly in fact, hands began to rise. They were hesitant, no doubt thinking of the trouble that usually followed Harry where ever he went and remembering all the mischief he had caused as a child and teenager. But they needed to realise that he wasn't that person now that he didn't have a dark lord breathing down his neck every two seconds. They needed to have faith that he could do this, just as Hermione did.

Eventually all hands had risen and another smile broke over Hermione's face, more out of relief than anything else. Once more the Wizenagmot began to rise…

"Wait! I have one more order of business!"

There was a collective groan from every single member as they once more went to sit down. Hermione could hear a few snickers from the stands but chose to ignore them as she proceeded.

"As a result of Madam Umbridge's removal and impending trial I would like Lucius Malfoy's conviction overturned also," she told them, much to the outrage of half the room.

"You aren't seriously asking us to let this man go free for his crimes!" Terry complained.

"Not all of them, just the most recent one," Hermione corrected him.

"Mr Malfoy used dark magic," Slughorn stated.

"To save his son," Hermione argued.

"He broke his parole by performing any magic at all," McGonagall told her.

"To save his son," she repeated.

"He also showed a rather prominent contempt for the law-"

"Are you seriously going to make me say it again?" She asked irrately, "He did it for his son! If that doesn't justify his actions then-"

"That doesn't change a god damn thing."

She turned to see Malfoy back in full prosecution mode and addressing the Wizenagmot as well as herself in a manor she had never seen before. He had a cold determination in his eyes that he had been hiding from her rather well up until then and she was shocked to realise that it frightened her.

"He still performed magic," he told them, "He still broke his parole and under the law he must be punished!"

"Under the law he is supposed to be afforded the rights to a full and thorough defence which he will not be capable of if he has his soul almost sucked out of his body on a daily basis!" She almost yelled at him, "I have a duty to protect my client and so does-"

"I'm sorry Miss Granger but our hands are tied," McGonagall cut across her, "Mr Malfoy is right. Lucius broke his parole and so he must be punished for it."

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. She hadn't wanted it to come to this, she really hadn't, but if they gave her no other choice…

She looked over to Rabastan who gave her a slight nod. He had already given her his blessing to destroy his life and now he was expecting her to do it sooner rather than later. There was nothing else for it. Plan B had officially been launched.

"If my client can not be kept from Azkaban prison through the grace of this court," she said loudly, "Then I ask that certain portions of his trial be moved forward."

There were some audible gasps and more chatter amongst the stands. Minerva quickly regained control of the courtroom.

"Which charges would you like brought forward?" She asked the younger woman.

"The Death Eater and Terrorism charges," she said clearly, "They are the most important due to the fact that they are so inexplicably linked with all the others. With the evidence we have to present, the outcome of that portion of the trial will undoubtedly affect the others."

"If that is the case, then why did you not ask for them to be brought forward earlier?" Ernie demanded.

"It has taken a long time to build this case," she answered him, "We were still building it once the trial commenced and the death of Carlos Avery set us back very far. We now have a new witness to take his place however, she does not plan on staying in the country long and so we need to bring her testimony forward."

"How far forward?" Slughorn asked sceptically.

"I would like to start today."

There were more gasps and shocked noises elicited from both the stands and the Wizenagmot. Minerva once more had to fight for control of the room.

"This is ridiculous!" Malfoy suddenly spoke up, "She's only doing this to get her client out of Azkaban-"

"I do believe that's the point Malfoy-"

"Shut it Granger!"

"What are you going to do about it Malfoy? Curse me in an open-"

"Both of you shut up!" Minerva tried to silence them but failed miserably.

"Professor, I haven't even heard about this supposed witness!" He almost screamed, "I need time to question them-"

"The reason you haven't heard of them is because I only found her mere hours ago!" Hermione roared.

"How the hell did you manage that while you were in prison?" He asked incredulously.

"Magic!" She yelled back.

"ENOUGH!"

It seemed this time Minerva had managed to do her job. Both Law Enforcers turned to face her with awed expressions on their faces as they looked upon the frustrated Chief Warlock.

"It doesn't matter what her motives are, Mr Malfoy," Minerva told him, "Miss Granger has the right to bring any portion of the trial forward at any point in time…And I think we will all be much happier once this trial is over and done with."

Malfoy closed his eyes and kicked the desk in frustration.

"Miss Granger's motion is granted. We will reconvene in one hour's time. Mr Potter, please have an Auror sent to Azkaban prison to retrieve Mr Malfoy. Regardless of the previous Minister's decree, he still has a right to face his accuser."

Hermione immediately moved from the front of the room to the back, Harry not far behind her as she approached Rabistan who was still holding onto Lavender for dear life. She took note of their intertwined fingers before looking back up to his face.

"Does she know?" She asked and he nodded.

"I'm staying with him," Lavender told her firmly, "No matter what happens."

Hermione gave a stiff nod.

"Right," she said, "I'm going with Harry to retrieve Lucius. I need you to go back and run everybody through his or her testimonies. We only have an hour to prepare."

"Will-" he hesitated slightly, "Will she be there?"

"No," she shook her head, "I'll run over her testimony with her. You just look after the others."

He nodded. Hermione and Harry went to leave once more. She took all of three steps before she was grabbed for the third time that day and forcefully turned around.  
"I don't know what you're trying to pull Granger," Malfoy hissed, "But I won't let you get away with it!"

"I said it to Umbridge and I'll say it to you," she whispered with more contempt in her voice than she thought she possessed, "I don't care what you say or do or even think, you can not touch me."

She wrenched herself out of his grip and stepped backwards so that she could still face him as her back hit Harry's front lightly and he placed a protective hand on her shoulder.

"I will do everything possible to defend my client," she told him, "And not you, or Umbridge, or whoever is pulling your strings, is going to stop me."

Malfoy's face suddenly went from one of anger to desperation, almost panic. He reached out a hand for her but Harry quickly raised his wand in her defence and he dropped it again.

"There is more than one life at stake, Granger," he hissed to her, "And one life is not equal to another."

"In your eyes maybe," she told him without any hint of sympathy, "I've tried to help you Malfoy. I've given you every opportunity-"

"You don't understand-"

"Oh, I think I understand perfectly," she told him, "You may not have willingly followed him but you haven't tried to get away from him either. I don't care how he's blackmailing you anymore. As far as I'm concerned you are now an obstacle in my path that needs to be removed. You won't be shown any mercy from now on."

"Where did all this come from Granger?" He asked, suddenly becoming angry again, "Where did your compassion go?"

"Compassion ceased to exist for me once I gained an emotional stake in this case, Malfoy," she told him firmly, "I will not allow you, or anyone else to hurt my client anymore."

With that she left him standing there, stunned in the middle of the courtroom as she left to retrieve her star witness and her client from prison.


	27. Witnesses Part One

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**I am so sorry that this has taken so long. I never expect that it would take so much time but there really wasn't much I could do about it when I lost my mojo and there was a death in the family and several things happened at once and life got out of hand and...yeah. Suffice it to say that things were pretty crappy for a while and I just couldn't bring myself to type until everything was balanced out again. So once more, I sincerely apologise for the wait and I hope that this chapter is worth it.**

**Thanks heaps guys!**

**~VTM  
**

**R.I.P Terri Andrews-Warwick, this chapter is dedicated to you!**

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Chapter Twenty-Seven: Witnesses; Part One

They moved quickly through the prison, not even stopping for Smithy who greeted them at the door. She almost ran through the corridors and hallways, the black light of the torches lining her features with age and concern. Harry, for all his wisdom didn't understand what the rush was. From what she had told him on the way over there Malfoy's visit to the dementors wasn't scheduled for another hour. Where was the immediate danger? But regardless of his lack of understanding he kept up with her and didn't stop until they finally reached his cell. It took a moment for Lucius to register the fact that she was back at the prison but once he did, he didn't hold back his surprise.

"What are you doing back here?" He hissed as the guards let them in, "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing important," she told him as she flung her arms around him. He didn't even think as he reciprocated. They had only been apart for mere hours. He shouldn't have felt such a strong sense of loneliness when she left. He shouldn't have felt such a strong sense of comfort now that she was there again. Harry for his part, almost felt like he was intruding on a private moment between the two and was tempted to look away but he realised if he did then they would never get out of there fast enough.

"Guys, we have a trial to attend," he said hesitantly.

"Wait," Lucius said in confusion, "What is he talking about? Why are you here? What happened with-"

"I'm in the clear," she told him quickly, "McGonagall is now the Chief Warlock of the Wizenagmot and Harry is now temporary Minister for Magic-"

"Really?" Lucius smirked at Harry, "And how does Mr Potter feel about this?"

"He doesn't like it in the slightest," Harry grumbled. Lucius chuckled.

"McGonagall also allowed me to move the Death Eater charges to the forefront of the trial," Hermione told him, "We begin the testimonies in one hour's time."

He stared down at her for several moments, wracking his brain, trying to find any words to say at all.

"Is-" he started, "Is that really wise?"

"I'm not letting you stay in here for the duration of the trial," she told him firmly, "You have the right to a coherent defence and if the Wizenagmot won't give it to you then I will manipulate it out of them."

Once more he stared but this time instead of struggling for words he simply held her close. After a few minutes of this he released her and once more they were racing across the corridors until they came across the woman they sought. She was with another guard who held up his wand with a goofy smile on his face at the sight of Lucius but Harry quickly explained as Hermione and Lucius ran towards one who was soon to become their favourite woman.

"The trial is to begin shortly," Hermione told her, "We need you to come back with us when it is time."

"Then why are you here now?" She asked quietly, "Have you secured my daughters' safety? My husband's?"

Hermione stilled for a few moments. In all the commotion she hadn't realised that it would now be harder to comply with this woman's demands. She had an hour to get everything in place before her testimony, an hour to make her feel as though she could lose nothing for doing the right thing.

She walked over to Harry and wordlessly dove her hand into his pocket.

"Hey!" He protested.

"I need to borrow your phone," she told him as she removed it.

"It would be nice if you would ask," he told her indignantly.

"Thank you, Minister," she teased before walking away from him once more. Instantly, she dialled Lavender's number. Harry listened silently to half the conversation that was taking place before him.

"Lavender? Yes it's me…No! Everything is fine, we're at Azkaban….Yes, she looks absolutely delightful in those robes, it's a wonder why she insists on pink all the time…Yes, well what I'm calling about is…Oh! Alright then. I'll see you when we get back then. Bye."

Hermione handed the phone back.

"Apparently she's already on it," she shrugged, before turning to her star witness, "Both your daughters will be safe in about half an hour and apparently Rabastan has been dispatched to go and get your husband."

"You're absolutely sure they'll be safe?" She whispered, "I don't want them hurt because of me-"

"They won't be," Hermione assured her, "I have top level security at my home and they'll be at the trial just to be absolutely sure. We aren't going to let them out of our sight."

Hermione could see tears in the woman's eyes as she nodded. She had to be one of the most selfless people she would ever know. Here she was, giving up her anonymity, the life that she had built for herself since the first war had ended…and all she asked was that her family was safe. If it were Hermione, she would be asking for a hell of a lot more, that was for sure.

"Is there somewhere private we can go?" She asked her, "I have to prep you for your testimony and Lucius too."

She nodded and led the three of them away. As they passed the front desk however, something made Hermione stop in her tracks. The other three soon stopped to look at where her attention had been drawn and the same expression of confusion soon fell over both Lucius' and Harry's faces. Standing there, speaking to Smithy was Draco who seemed to be even more irritated than he had back in the courtroom mere minutes ago. Once he left, Hermione ventured over to Smithy and asked him what the git had wanted.

"Rodolphus Lestrange asked to see him before the trial," the old man told her with a smile, "Said something about new evidence coming to light. Imagine that! New evidence so late in this trial!"

"Did he say what kind of evidence it was?" Lucius asked. Smithy simply shook his head and Lucius was starting to become rather irritated himself. Both he and Hermione had a good mind to continue questioning the old coot however Harry swiftly reminded them that they didn't have time to play "Good cop, Bad cop" now. After explaining the expression to Lucius somewhat they departed to the nearest available interrogation room.

"I think it would be best if you dropped your glamours," Hermione told her witness, "Lucius needs to see and thank the woman who is more than likely going to keep him out of prison."

With a great sigh she nodded and brought her wand to her face. Instantly the blond hair was replaced with brunette locks, her nose shrank to a cute little button and her eyes brightened considerably. Her cheekbones became higher, her skin paled and her lips grew slightly fuller. They were all slight changes, things that, separately, would not make much of a difference but together they created a completely different face.

Lucius' eyes widened when the transformation was complete and he couldn't help but stare.

"Sweet Merlin…"

~O~

They moved through the ministry an hour later, prepped, ready and anxious for what was to come. Hermione could almost feel Lucius twitch beside her as they finally made it to their intended destination. As usual he gave away no signs of angst to the general public; his face was a smooth pallet of perfection, as it always was with his gaze direct and unwavering on whatever he set it upon. But inside she knew he was screaming. Her time with him had shown her that he was a careful man at heart, one who always thought before he acted, even if his mouth did run away with him in heated moments. She knew that having the Death Eater charges brought forward was probably agonisingly hasty for him and she also had a feeling that he was battling a small pang of guilt. He too knew what this would mean for Rabastan and Aria. This was why he kept sneaking covert glances at the woman that stood next to him who had now returned her glamours so that she would not be recognised until the time was right.

As they entered the courtroom Hermione walked with him over to where Rabastan and all the others stood. She saw his eyes linger on the man.

"Thank you," he said quietly, his gaze so intense that Rabastan could barely stand his honesty, "I know what this will mean for you and your daughter."

He offered his hand to the other man who took it without hesitation.

"I wouldn't do it for a guilty man, Malfoy," he told him sternly, "Just hold up on cross and come back innocent and I'll be happy with my decision."

Lucius nodded and solemnly swore to himself not to lose his temper no matter what his son threw at him on the stand. He saw Rabastan turn his eyes away from his client and over to the new person that Hermione had brought back with her. As Lavender gripped his hand to give him support, he seemed almost in tears as he gazed down at her masked face.

"Hello Rabastan," she said meekly, almost in tears herself.

"Hello," he whispered. No one knew who moved first but within seconds he had let go of Lavender's hand and had his arms around her. The two of them stayed like that for the longest time, refusing to relinquish the peace that they had both finally found at first sight. Hermione looked over at Lavender who seemed to be breathing more heavily than what she needed to. Hermione sent her a comforting glance that the girl accepted but did not return. No doubt this was going to be difficult for her as well.

"Are my daughters here?" The witness asked after a while.

"Yes," Rabastan told her, "One is over in the stands with her father," he pointed so that she could see, "And the other is sitting over there with Severus."

"Severus?" She asked confusedly, "Since when are you on first name basis?"

"A lot has changed since the trial began," he told her, "Quite a lot actually."

He stepped back from her after that and resumed his grip of Lavender's hand. Lavender for her part seemed slightly surprised at first but returned his grip without hesitation. Their witness looked at their intertwined fingers for a few moments in sadness before resignation washed over her and she gave him another watery smile.

"I couldn't expect you to stay alone," she whispered and his face was suddenly relieved as she said, "I'm happy for you."

She then turned her attention to Lavender who looked back at her in blatant shock. It was obvious that she knew everything, that Rabastan had seen fit to trust her with his most intimate secrets. She gave her a contented smile as well and with a slight hesitation it was returned.

"Ladies and Gentleman, please take your seats. This court is now in session."

They all turned to see McGonagall and the rest of the Wizenagmot had already taken theirs and were now waiting expectantly for the prosecution and defence. As Hermione moved over to her desk she noticed briefly that Draco was looking shaky and paler than ever. A few months ago her first instinct would have been to ask him what was wrong and if she could help, maybe offer to buy him a drink after they were through. But that was months ago. Now all she did was sit there and observe his movements and his mannerisms, watching him as much as she could to pick up any kind of information. He was fidgety, clearly nervous as hell and wanting to get out of there as fast as he could.

In short, he was shit scared and he had every reason to be.

She looked over to Lucius who was eyeing his son with concern. No matter how angry he may have been, his first instinct was always to be a father. It was something that she didn't understand, probably something that she wouldn't understand for a while and that was the only reason why she didn't tell him off. She instead grasped his hand beneath the table and welcomed the pressure that he gave back to her. It was in that moment that she knew that although he would always be a father first, today he was here for himself.

When she looked back over at Draco however she saw him look directly at her through narrowed eyes. It was not a malicious expression, or even an expression of defiance. It was curiosity.

She instantly let go of Lucius' hand.

"As it was the Defence that called for this motion," McGonagall said, "I now give them the opportunity to either go first or have the prosecution call their witnesses."

Hermione looked over to Rabastan who gave her a slight nod.

"We ask that the prosecution present their witnesses first, Professor," she said, loud and clear.

"Very well," McGonagall inclined her head, "Mr Malfoy, call your first witness."

Malfoy's head jerked up in surprise, looking at McGonagall before looking at Hermione in shock. Clearly he had expected things to go the other way around. He stood shakily from his seat, gripping the desk for support and then finding some semblance of courage as he stood up straight.

"Prosecution calls Caractacus B-Borgin," he said quietly, not at all confident in his decision as Hermione gazed at the tall, gangly and wrinkled man that stepped before the witness stand. He had a face that just reeked of evil, a permanently furrowed brow and scars from all his odd and dark contraptions that he had sold over the years. He was a man that she had never liked.

Borgin was sworn and given a low dose of veritaserum to ensure that he would tell the truth through out his questioning. Hermione eyed him intently, as did most of her team as he finally took the stand and Malfoy approached. She felt Lucius stiffen beside her slightly, the sudden intensity of the moment finally sinking in. She gripped his hand lightly beneath the table for several seconds and giving him a comforting look before turning her attention back to the centre of the room.

Draco gave a slight cough before he began his interrogation. Burke was nothing but co-operative, answering his questions about how Lucius bought and sold dark items through out the years the second war went on, how he often caught Lucius in the company of known Death Eaters and how he had heard about Lucius' break out from prison in 1997. Draco for his part became more and more confident as the questioning wore on. He straightened up, spoke more clearly and lost the shake that had plagued him since he had entered the room. When he was finally done he seemed to have iron-clad confidence as he looked Hermione directly in the eye, as if to say that he would win no matter what it took. Hermione stared back at him with the same determination.

~O~

The redirects and the questioning went as well as could be expected.

The crowd hissed when Narcissa pronounced Lucius a good husband.

They booed when Severus said he was a good friend.

They cried in absolute outrage when Crispin Forster informed them of how he had been a Death Eater by force. Draco went so far as to protest the entire testimony, which McGonagall looked like she would be more than willing to oblige as the unwelcome information washed over her and horror swept over her face. She perhaps knew Hermione better than anyone else in the room, having taught her for six critical years of her life and watched her grow into the person she was now. Sure, Harry and Ron loved her like family and probably knew all her secrets but there was nothing like the observant eye of a good teacher. Because of this, McGonagall saw that Hermione believed what Forster said was true. Because of this, Mcgonagall could not ignore the pang of guilt that threatened to empty the contents of her stomach.

"SILENCE!" One of the Wizenagmot called through the chaos but it continued on around them as the worlds of so many people fell apart. Hermione saw the Weasley family huddled together, trying to figure out exactly how many Death Eaters they had seen with green marks on their arm, how many of those Death Eaters they had killed.

All the Weasleys but one.

Arthur looked down at her with something akin to both disgust and fear. He didn't bother to calm his wife who was shouting just as loud as the rest of them, he didn't try to comfort his children, some of them falling apart at the seams. He simply stared and said nothing.

"SILENCE!" McGonagall had finally regained her senses and was staring down at Hermione with a look of barely contained fear.

"Professor, I don't know what kind of bullshit Granger is trying to pull-"

"Watch your language in my courtroom, Malfoy," McGonagall chastised him, not taking her eyes off of the bushy haired witch.

"But you must agree with me that this is absolutely ludicrous!" Draco roared, "How on earth could she expect anyone to believe that some potion is responsible for the recruitment of literally hundreds of people by the Dark Lord and his so called _true_ followers! And if by some fucking miracle-"

"Language, Malfoy!" She snapped.

"That what she says is true," he continued as though there was no interruption, "How in Merlin's name could she ever expect us to believe that _Lucius Malfoy_ was one of those unfortunate souls to be trapped against their will!"

Now came the hard bit. Hermione took a deep breath and looked over at Rabastan who took a deep breath as well and gave her the briefest of nods. She then looked over to her witness who nodded openly and then to Lavender who smiled at her.

"If it pleases the court," she said slowly but clearly as she turned back to McGonagall, "I have a witness available who can attest to Crispin Forster's story."

Draco scoffed and laughed at her.

"I hate to break it to you Granger but no one is going to take Lucius Malfoy seriously when he is the one on trial!"

"It's not Lucius," she told him, "I have another."

He narrowed his eyes at her and McGonagall frowned.

"Who?" She asked.

Hermione turned towards her witness and beckoned them forward with a couple of fingers. The woman slowly stood from her seat and walked hesitantly towards the middle of the room and stood next to the Law Enforcer. Draco's eyes narrowed even further as he looked at the woman.

"This woman can attest to Mr Forster's story?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes," Hermione told her, "She was given the potion that Mr Forster made for Lord Voldemort," a collective shudder went through the room, "And was forced to act upon his wishes from 1977 to 1981 but managed to escape during the second war through faking her own death."

There was a subdued reaction from the crowd. Some of them whispered and murmured to the people next to them and others gave small gasps of shock. Overall it was rather tame compared to the roaring monsters that had occupied their seats only minutes ago.

"I make a motion to disallow this witness!" Malfoy exclaimed. Hermione winced, knowing that she would have a battle on her hands to get this testimony in. She had always known that it would be a test of her argumentative skills.

"On what grounds?" McGonagall asked.

"Never mind the fact that the evidence this witness has to present can only be relevant to the first war," Draco told her, "But I didn't even know about her until five minutes ago. I should have been allowed ample time to question her and prepare for her testimony-"

"Although what Mr Malfoy says is true, I only managed to secure this woman's testimony last night!" Hermione finally jumped in, "Seeing as my own trial only ended mere hours ago it would have been rather difficult to do what is best for my client as well as abide by the book."

"It's not my fault you can't follow the rules, Granger-"

"Further more, the evidence that my witness has to present is more than relevant to the second war and for Mr Malfoy to assume otherwise is more than presumptuous, it is downright stupid," she went on.

"Assuming that you aren't lying through your teeth-"

"I'm not like you, Malfoy," Hermione growled at him.

"No, you aren't." He hissed back, "But unlike everyone else in this room, I don't underestimate you. I know you would do anything for your client, especially considering the…_nature_ of your relationship."

She blanched, her eyes widening as more whispers elicited from the crowd. Draco glared down at her with more detestation than she had ever seen from him, more malice, more disgust and distrust. She was scum on the bottom of his shoe now and the way he looked at her made her feel like it.

"What was it you said to me a few hours ago?" He said, "That you now had an _emotional_ stake in the case?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

"Explain yourself, Malfoy," McGonagall suddenly said.

"If it weren't enough that I saw her holding his hand through out this entire portion of the trial," Draco told the old professor. "I have an eyewitness within the prison who says that he could see them kissing from his cell while they were in Azkaban together."

She froze completely as she listened to the shocked gasps and whispers. She could hear the rest of her team questioning Lucius, asking him, begging him to tell them that it wasn't true. She had expected Draco to smirk at her but for his part he was stony faced and business like. It was clear that he took no pleasure from destroying her career.

McGonagall however, appeared to be more than sceptical of this new development. She looked down at Draco with a furrowed brow and spoke in a tone that suggested great suspicion.

"And who is this so called witness?" She asked him.

"Rodolphus Lestrange."

"And what did you promise him?" Rabastan suddenly stood up, glaring at Draco.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked him.

"My brother doesn't do anything for free," he insisted firmly, "And he would say anything to get out of his life sentences."

"Why he told me this is of no concern-"

"It is of every concern!" The star witness suddenly exclaimed, "If there's anything I know about Rodolphus Lestrange it's that motive counts for everything in his book. If he has something to gain from volunteering information then he will give it to you, whether it's true or not."

McGonagall sighed and Hermione knew what was coming next without even having to look at her. Her worst fear was about to be realised and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Regardless of the witness's motive," Draco stated imperiously, "This court is obligated by law to investigate the claim!"

McGonagall was shaking her head by this point and the crowd was in full swing, jeering at Draco or praising him. Hermione looked over at Lucius who looked as stony and impassive as ever but beneath it all she could see the panic forming behind his eyes. Their hands were tied now, they had no choice. Rabastan seemed to have other ideas. He beckoned her over.

"Why don't you fight this!" He hissed at her, "He can't have you thrown off the case, his witness isn't credible, holding a client's hand isn't against the law-"

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head, "He's not looking to throw me from the case. All he needs is my suspension until the investigation is over and when the investigation is over-"

"The trial would have concluded because of our plan to speed sentencing based on the evidence that is about to be heard," Rabastan buried his head in his hands, growling in frustration as Lavander placed a consoling hand on his back.

"Hermione I can't do this," he whispered, "I can't question her and pull this off convincingly-"

"Yes you can," Hermione told him, "You know what to do Rabastan, you know the stories better than I do, you know how to swing this better than I ever could. Whatever happens now will not affect his shot at freedom."

"That's not the point," Lucius suddenly chimed in. She looked over at him to see his stony façade beginning to slip. He was unhappy about this than any of them, probably because he felt it was his fault but she wasn't about to let him begin to feel sorry for himself.

"It doesn't matter," she repeated before returning to the front of the room and facing McGonagall who had just managed to get control of the room once more.

"Mr Malfoy is right," she suddenly said, "This court unfortunately does have the obligation to suspend me from the case and investigate his claim. However, this does not mean that the trial has to stop."

"Are both Malfoys happy for the trial to continue in your absence?" McGonagall asked, looking a little worse for wear, "Mr Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes, Professor," he answered, "I am."

"Mr Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes, Headmistress," he nodded, "Mr Lestrange will be taking over as my Law Enforcer for the time being."

"Very well," McGonagall sighed, "The trial will continue during Miss Granger's suspension. I ask that Miss Granger leaves the courtroom and that their witness takes the stand immediately."

Draco looked towards the Headmistress in shock.

"You can not be se-"

"I'm deadly serious, Mr Malfoy," she cut him off before he could start, "Now kindly take your seat so that we can resume. Miss Granger, do not make me call the aurors to remove you."

Hermione gave a nod towards McGonagall before moving past Malfoy on her way out. She stopped by his chair and pretended to pick something up that she had dropped so that she could whisper to him without being urged from the courtroom again.

"You may think that this has given you some sort of advantage, Malfoy," she said, "But all it has done is given me some free time to figure out what's really going on. I'm going to figure out what you're hiding, I'm going to figure out who is trying to kill us all and more importantly, I'm going to figure out what you did to your _wife_."

She left him sitting there, pale, stock-still in his seat with nothing but fear in his eyes.


	28. Witnesses Part Two

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**I know! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me for leaving you with such a hanger! It wasn't intentional, I swear. My computer actually packed a sad on me and then my internet died and then I had a massive tantrum over the last two months because I couldn't write and then my brain decided to start working again and I stole dad's computer xD Now I have a funky new laptop that my Grandparents got me for Christmas, so BIG SHOUT OUT TO THEM!**

**As always R&R, even if it's just to tell me how much of a bitch I am for making you wait haha**

**Cheers guys**

**~VTM

* * *

**

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Witnesses: Part Two

When the murmurs and the stir of the room finally died, Rabastan stood from his seat and walked to the centre of the room where the witness was now seated in her chair. He had to take a deep breath before starting the routine that he and Hermione had talked over previously. It was show time, no room for mistakes or mishaps. He either got this right, or his client would die. His innocent client would die.

"Miss," he said quietly, "Would you please remove the glamours from your face so that the court may see what you really look like."

The woman did as she was told and pulled her wand from her pocket. As her features began to change Rabastan saw how some people in the room suddenly realised who they were looking at. Their eyes widened or they gave audible gasps. Most of these signals came from the Wizenagmot themselves, particularly those who had survived both the first and the second war. Two particularly loud gasps came from the stands where Rabastan could see a father and his daughter looking down upon her with tears in their eyes, their dream like states suddenly abandoned for shock and grief. Others however, were completely oblivious to her true form and looked on as though she had done nothing at all.

"Would you please state your full name for the court?" He asked her.

"M-my name," she said, stuttering slightly, "Today is Nora Green. My name prior to 1981 was….Aemilia Lovegood."

That was when the gasps really came. The realisation of who was really sitting before them seemed to hit the courtroom and once more they were in turmoil. However they seemed more eager to hear what her story was rather than make noise because they silenced themselves just as easily as they had started. McGonagall didn't even have to ask them nicely.

"Mrs Lovegood," Rabastan said after a while, "Would you please raise your left sleeve to bare your forearm to us."

She was hesitant.

"I assure you that anything you say or do within this court will not result in prosecution," he told her calmly, "You are protected here."

She looked up at McGonagall as though asking for confirmation.

"He is right, Mrs Lovegood." McGonagall nodded, "Anything said here stays here and can not be used against you lawfully."

Aemilia closed her eyes for a few moments, suggesting that the judicial aspect was not really what she was worried about but did as she was told none the less. As the green mark became visible to the rest of the room there were no shocked whispers or murmurs, merely a stunned, disbelieving silence.

"I ask now that Mr Draco Malfoy comes to check the validity of the mark," Rabastan said to the court.

"Why is that?" McGonagall asked.

"Because the only other former Death Eaters in this room are myself, Mr Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape, all of whom are for the Defence and could be deemed as biased," Rabastan explained, "Mr Draco Malfoy grew up around the marks and the dark arts. Even if he does not have one himself, he would still be able to tell if one is real, imprinted by the Dark Lord or a fake. This way the Prosecution can not accuse us of falsifying evidence."

McGonagall thought about it for a few moments.

"Very well," she said, "Mr Malfoy, if you will…"

Draco stood up rather quickly and moved over towards Aemilia swiftly. He took her arm harshly in his hands and looked down at the squirming serpent on her forearm for a long time and then poked it with his wand. She winced at the contact of the wood on her skin but did not complain as he continued to examine it thoroughly. Finally, after five minutes of poking and prodding he stepped back with a look of confusion in his eyes.

"It's real," he said, "The Dark Lord placed this on her arm."

Rabastan was half expecting him to lie to the court and tell them that it was a fake but was more than grateful that the boy had some semblance of honour left within him. Lucius too sighed in relief as his son returned back to his seat. He had thought for sure that his hatred for his father would overwhelm his dignity and reduce him to deceit. He couldn't be gladder that he was wrong. Maybe there was hope for them yet?

"Now that your mark has been verified, I ask now that you tell us how it came to be on your arm," Rabastan asked Aemilia, "Start from the beginning, leave nothing out and I will only ask minor questions along the way."

The woman took a deep breath and looked up at her former husband and her daughter for the briefest moments before nodding.

"I married straight out of Hogwarts," she stated, "To a man who I believed was the love of my life, Xenophilus Lovegood. He was kind and generous and…quirky, everything I'd ever wanted. But as the war raged on, things became more and more difficult. In addition to worrying about our safety, the price of every day living began to rise and it wasn't like we had a lot of money to begin with…"

"What did you do?" Rabastan asked her.

"With my spells business going under and with what little money Xeno was making at The Quibbler, I had to take up an extra job," she told him, "I started work at Borgin and Burkes on May 15th in 1977. It wasn't exactly my ideal job but it was the only one going that I was able to get. I was over qualified, yes, but all other jobs seemed to be filled at the time or didn't offer the kind of money that I needed. Borgin and Burke were very generous to their shop assistants back then, though I think that might have been due to the danger the place attracted at the time. Death Eaters were their main source of income, looking for objects and spells that they could use to further their cause. It wasn't long however, before Borgin and Burke asked me to start inventing for them. They had apparently heard of my spells business and wanted me to start working for them as a magical engineer."

"You charmed dark objects for them?" Rabastan asked.

"I also created spells and potions that I am very ashamed of," she nodded with a sigh of regret, "If I could go back and change it all…But they paid me handsomely for it and soon enough, Xeno and I were living comfortably again. Our mortgage was paid off, we were free of any debts, Xeno had enough to take over The Quibbler and by 1979 we were planning on starting a family. Unfortunately by that point the Dark Lord had heard of my talents and decided that my working at Borgin and Burke's wasn't enough."

"He sought you out? Asked you to join him?" Rabastan asked.

"Not directly at first," she said, "He sent a few of his Death Eaters in one afternoon while I was getting ready to close up for the night and they told me of his wishes. They gave me twenty-four hours to think about it."

"Did you think about it?"

"I did," she sighed, "While I didn't believe in what he was trying to do I knew there was a very real chance that he would win. There's a reason why I was a Ravenclaw and not a Gryffindor after all. But in the end my conscience won out and I told them no. I went home that night to find my house in flames and-"

Her voice broke. This was where the tragedy of her life began where it had all gone completely and utterly wrong. She managed to pull herself together, just barely.

"The Dark Lord stood before it," she whispered, "His wand in one hand, a potion in the other…and my husband at his feet. He was unconscious and bleeding from his head. The Dark Lord then told me to kneel before him and reveal my left forearm. I just-just stood there at first and looked at him and then Death Eaters came out of the shadows and grabbed me, forcing me to the ground and ripping my sleeve…"

She gave a couple of great heaves as she remembered the event and tears began to spill from her eyes. Lavender pulled out a few tissues she had been carrying around with her and gave them to Rabastan who then handed them to Aemilia.

"What happened?" He asked her quietly, some emotion leaking into his own voice.

"The Dark Lord burned his mark into my arm," she whispered and sobbed, "The pain was almost too much to bare…I'd never screamed so much in my life. Then he poured the potion on it and if I had been frightened before, I was more terrified than ever now. The moment it touched my skin it was like I lost all control of my body. I knew who I was, I could still feel and think and see but I wasn't in control. I-I could feel his voice inside my head, whispering, taunting, encouraging. He was a blot of darkness in the back of my mind from then on, pulling my strings like a puppet and her master. And he truly was my master then. I had no choice but to do as he ordered."

More tears escaped her eyes as she fought furiously for control. As Rabastan looked around the room he could see that she wasn't the only one. Luna was staring down at her mother with more sadness and regret than he had ever seen in the girl and Xeno had a few tears of his own. He then looked over at Potter who was looking at Aemilia with so much empathy…He too knew what it was like to be controlled by the Dark Lord, to have his presence inside his mind.

"From then on, I lived with him and his Death Eaters," Aemilia suddenly continued, "I invented things for him at his bidding, all the while completely unable to control my actions. He had me do things that I would never have done if I had control of my body and mind, no matter how desperate for money I was. Death Eaters sometimes used me as a whore or target practice when I wasn't working, sometimes both at the same time and being under his constant control made me a rather…willing participant. There were sometimes days where he allowed me to have my body back but in those days I was often too weak to try and escape…Sometimes he would take control of me and not allow me to remember what I had done during that time. When I was lucid I would see scratches or marks on my body that hadn't been there the last time I was in control or the last time he let me watch…"

"What did you do on the days that you were lucid?" He asked, a sudden fear in his voice. This was the part that would put him in the spotlight, the part that would see him and his daughter in the papers for a while. But it was necessary. They needed to see her as a human being, desperate, devalued and broken if they were going to win this. She needed to be believable and this was the only way to do it.

"At first I just…cried," she whispered, "But then I found out that there were others who had been in my position, either because of the mark or the imperius curse and I sought comfort from them…You in particular, Mr Lestrange. You and I often had the same days where we were in control of our bodies and we were often placed in the same cells day in and day out…"

There were a few murmurs from the crowd at this though nothing terrible. They were still reeling from the fact that she was even there. He remembered how widely her death notice was published all over England…

"The Wizenagmot recognizes Professor Horace Slughorn," McGonagall suddenly said.

"Mr Lestrange, is it really appropriate for you to be questioning someone you have had…intimate relations with?" He asked, seemingly have responded to the meaning of Aemilia's testimony immediately.

"Well considering the other Law Enforcer just got thrown out of the courtroom, I don't really have a choice," Rabastan rolled his eyes before turning back to his witness. "Can you please recount for the court, your final days of imprisonment?"

"They were cold," she told him after dabbing her eyes a bit with her tissues, "Very cold. The only reason I remember is because he allowed me to remember. I had just finished making a rather bizarre potion that he had requested, something about a permanent version of the Polyjuice potion…I don't really remember much of that…"

Rabastan looked meaningfully over to Harry and Severus who looked at each other at the same moment. They had all spotted the same thing in her testimony and filed it away for further investigation.

"I didn't even know what the date was, but I found out later that it was October 31st," she continued, "He had left for the evening and I was sitting in my cell when all of a sudden I felt a giant pressure on my brain. I thought at first that someone was secretly torturing me but it didn't feel like the cruciatus curse."

"How so?" Rabastan asked, "What was the difference?"

"The cruciatus curse targets every portion of your body with intense pain, both on the skin and under it," she told him, "This was just in my head and it wasn't stabbing the way crucio does. It was more pounding than anything else. And then just as suddenly as it had started it stopped. Out of nowhere I felt my arms and legs begin to work, my mind suddenly return to a conscious and functioning state…I knew by some miracle that I was free."

"You knew that the Dark Lord was dead?"

"No," she shook her head and whispered, "He wasn't dead. I don't know whether it's a side effect of the potion or not but no matter where he is now, dead or alive, I can feel him. Back then I could still feel his presence in my mind but dormant. Like he was sleeping, waiting for a chance to strike. As soon as I got the chance, I ran from the hellhole I was kept in and went to find out what had become of my husband. I made sure that I left Borgin and Burke's for good after that and never touched the subject of Magical Engineering again. I went to work in Azkaban Prison, guarding the very people who had imprisoned me and in 1982 I gave birth to my daughter, Luna."

"I'm sure this is a question that is on everyone's mind at the moment," Rabastan said softly, "So please, try to put aside your pain and answer honestly for me. Why is it, that you decided to fake your own death."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, cleaning her cheeks with the tissues once more before opening them and looking at him again.

"While I was at the prison, not only did I see many of my captors inside the cells but also many of those I came to call friends," she told him, "Yourself included. I did as best I could to keep you out of trouble, including inventing a charm that allowed you to stop seeing the dementors while you were in there. It seemed though that…As much as I loved Xenophilus back then, and even still do now, I had developed feelings for you. This, you already know of course but I suppose it is necessary to tell the rest of the world?"

He gave her a brief nod.

"We began an affair," she told the courtroom, "An affair that seemed to keep us both sane as we tried to live in a world without the Dark Lord and yet with the knowledge that he could come back at any moment and rip everything apart once more. His presence was constantly in the back of my mind, wanting, waiting for an opportunity to cease me again and use me for his own selfish purposes. We drew comfort from one another once more, as though we were back in that tiny cell again, hoping that our lucid days would last longer than they ought. Xeno had no idea…until now. I guess it was a combination of that fear…and another that made me decide to fake my own death. It was in 1990 that I found out I was pregnant again with my second daughter, Aria, and it was not Xeno's child."

There were louder murmurs at this and a few flashes from the cameras of the media but Rabastan paid them no mind.

"What did you do?" He asked her.

"I began to pretend that I was inventing again, spending hours in the basement doing nothing and yet pretending to do something. Three weeks after I found out about Aria's existence I made an explosion, made sure that Luna witnessed it and then ran away. After I gave birth to Aria, I left her with a few of your relatives and gave them specific instructions to come to the prison and see you and get to know you and once you were released and cleared of all charges, she was to be in your custody. I altered my appearance after that and reapplied to be a guard. I was there to watch her grow, every single time she came to visit you."

There was a pause as she calmed herself one more time and then looked directly at him.

"In 1995," she whispered, "Fourteen years after the Dark Lord fell, I felt him rise again. That same pressure on my skull that I had experienced when he was defeated in 1981 came back at full force and I knew that he was back. But for whatever reason, he didn't reach for me again. It wasn't until a year later, when Lucius Malfoy was brought in, a long with several others, that I found out that he still believed me to be dead. His connection to me had been partially broken during his resurrection and so it only told him where I was and not my condition. He thought that I was rotting in the Azkaban cemetery and no one had bothered to tell him that I had "died" in my own home."

"How did you come across this information?" He asked her quietly.

She looked over in Lucius' direction with sympathy and he looked at her with the same expression. Through out her entire testimony his icy glare had slipped away and he had looked at her, listened to her with more emotion on his face than he had ever displayed in the courtroom before.

"When Lucius Malfoy was taken to prison for the battle in the Department of Mysteries," she said, "I went to his cell. Whispers had reached the prison about how he had changed drastically over the past year, how he was becoming cold and indifferent towards his child and his wife, how he was doing things he had never done before. I thought at first that he was simply reaping punishment for not looking for the Dark Lord during his absence but then I heard about how he had gone to the Department of Mysteries and thrown spells that had been…cruel, unyielding. Through out my time with the Death Eaters in 1979 and 1980, he was the only one who didn't use me as some toy. He was the only one who abstained from torturing me or abusing me. When he was loyal to the Dark Lord, it was strictly for business and never some sick twisted pleasure like the others. I knew then that he had been controlled during that battle."

"Objection!" Draco suddenly rose from his chair, "This is hearsay!"

"Mrs Lovegood lived through being controlled, she would know the signs when she saw them!" Rabastan protested.

McGonagall thought about it for a few moments.

"Objection overruled, Malfoy," She said. Rabastan then turned back to Aemilia.

"What did you do then?" He asked.

"I went to Malfoy's cell," she said, "I saw the mark on his arm, saw that he was probably lucid for the first time in months…I unlocked his cell, walked inside…and I held him."

"You held him?"

"He'd had his body hijacked for the past eleven months," she told him, "He had said and done things against his will, things that were now impossible to repair…He was in pain and I knew that pain all to well."

"Just to clarify," he said, "You can attest, in all honesty, that you knew for a fact that Mr Malfoy had been acting against his will at the Department of Mysteries?"

"Yes," she said, "And every battle after that. After hearing everything that he had supposedly done, hearing tales from other Death Eaters…there is no way that he was in control."

"Thank you, Mrs Lovegood," Rabastan said to her before returning to his seat. Lavender then wrapped her arms around him and told him how proud she was of him, and how she didn't care about his adulterous ways. He couldn't help but smile at that and watched as Aria walked up to him. It pained him to see tears in his little girl's eyes but he knew they needed to be shed. She walked up to him and hugged him, burying her head beneath his chin and staying in his lap for the rest of the trial.

"Your witness, Mr Malfoy," McGonagall said. Draco stayed in his seat for a few minutes and appeared to be contemplating all that had been said. He tapped the tip of his quill against the desk and looked at Aemilia with a sense of concentration and scrutiny, as though he were searching for the truth behind her eyes. Something in her story had affected him greatly, Rabastan realised. Something she had said caused a change in his demeanour and character, in his view of the world he lived in and his objective had now changed…

~O~

She stormed inside her house, throwing her trial bag to the floor and slamming her fist against the wall. Not once in all her years had she ever been this angry, not once in all her years had she ever been this frustrated or irritated or down right mad! She wanted to kill Draco for what he had done! For the first time in her life she was seriously contemplating out in out murder and she hated him for it! She had never hated anyone in her god damn life!

She breathed heavily as she moved through out the house, towards the kitchen and finally into the liquor cabinet where she found her favourite brand of firewhiskey. If this screwed up week didn't warrant a drink, then she didn't know what did.

And there she sat, thinking, waiting, hoping. She mused over all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, how much had changed. Her perception of so many people had been altered, her life had been forever changed and there were so many questions that needed answering that she simply didn't have the tools to address.

Her career was ruined.

Her friend was now her enemy.

Someone was trying to kill her.

Three of the worst things that could happen to anybody and she was sitting there, wallowing in self pity. Where was her Gryffindor pride? Her courage? Her strength? She was the smartest witch of her age for Merlin's sake! Why couldn't she think her way out of this mess?

The answer was simple.

She was scared.

Not for herself, but for Lucius. The same thing that made her a brilliant Law Enforcer was now her biggest weakness. She cared for him deeply and it was clouding her judgement, stilling her thoughts and blinding her to what was really important. It was once her greatest asset, after all if you care for something or someone enough then you will do just about anything for them. You would kill for them, die for them, forsake everything that you are. That was what allowed her to bend the rules for her clients, to go out of her way for them. Even when she was defending Narcissa and Severus, back when she couldn't stand the sight of either of them, she felt something for either them or their cause and that was what had driven her to defend them so valiantly. It was what had driven her so hard for Lucius as well and now she was backed up into a corner because of it. All she could think about was how she had let him down, how her mistakes and lack of self control had now cost him his life. She had no illusions about what the Wizenagmot would do to him once he lost. They would throw him to the dementors and not blink an eyelash. And even if by some miracle she was wrong, it was more than likely that the psycho who had a serious obsession with Voldemort would get him.

She suddenly lost her thirst as she gazed down into the seemingly bottomless glass before her. Drinking wasn't going to help her. She needed to somehow expel her fear for Lucius and her anger with herself and start thinking straight again if she was going to undo the damage that had been done. She stood up with a sigh and poured the contents of the glass down the drain, watching it swirl in the sink before disappearing forever.

She needed to think. Badly.

She walked upstairs to her office with a heavy heart and a wilting soul and sat in her chair behind her desk with her head in her hands. Where could she start? What problem would she try to deal with first? There were so many she was facing that it almost seemed impossible to pick a place to begin. That was when she took out a quill and a piece of parchment and began to map it out…

_Ex-D.E murderer on the loose – Draco possibly involved._

_My suspension – Draco involved._

_Sabotage of Lucius' case – Draco involved._

When she broke it down like this, it didn't seem so much of a weight. As she looked down at her list she saw that the only link between all three events was Draco Malfoy, something that she had known for a while now. She just hoped that she was wrong for once in her life about the level of involvement he really had. While she was angry with him, she couldn't help but worry and hope that there was something she could do to help him. He had been there in her hours of need over the last three years, buying her a drink when she needed it, offering her a hand when no one else would bother.

As she looked down at the list she realised that the most important to deal with was the Death Eater who threatened to kill them all. There were only a certain number of them left in the world now and very few of them would have the guts to try and pull something like this now that their master was gone. Either they were insane or just plain stupid. She made a list of them as well and any attributes she could remember from reading a few personal files a little while back.

_Amycus Carrow – Too much of a coward and magically incapable of anything higher than a bad levitation spell._

_Yaxley – Possibility, but not definite. Magically strong, adept at concealment._

_Jugson – Magically capable but hasn't got the brains to pull it off. If he is involved, he'll have to have a partner who put him up to it._

Then the idea occurred to her and she wrote it down.

_More than one?_

It was certainly possible. It wouldn't have surprised her if a few of them had banded together in their exile to get back at Lucius by destroying his defence. But was it a strong enough motive? So far, they only seemed to be coming after her and making Hermione's life a misery, they hadn't touched Lucius or his case. Either way, the fact that there could be more than one meant that Amycus was back on the table. She then began to list the others…

_Macnair – Definite possibility. Magically capable, malicious enough, quite talented with torture._

_Rookwood –_

She paused at his name. He was definitely nasty enough to attempt something like this and was an absolute fanatic when it came to the Dark Lord, seconded only by Bellatrix Lestrange. But why would he do it? Why would any of them do it? The same argument of motive kept floating around inside her head and until she figured out what it was she had a feeling that she wasn't going to figure out her assailant's identity.

Then another question came to mind. Where was he hiding? She didn't know why, but she had the distinct feeling that he was close. Then again, he would have to be in order to get through the wards to Kingsley's home and to Azkaban to get to Bellatrix. It would have been no problem for him to find Avery, especially if they had access to the same privileges that Lucius did through his mark. It was just sheer luck that she had been there at the time he had decided to attack and kill her witness.

She suddenly heard the roaring of flame from downstairs and frowned. As she looked up at the clock she saw that she had only been home for a half an hour at the most, which meant that the others were at least another hour away. Who could possibly be visiting her in the middle of the day? She got up from her desk, leaving the paper where it was and laying down her quill before venturing back downstairs to her living room where she saw someone she definitely did not expect and she frowned in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"


End file.
